Metasurfaces fabricated with this method possess unique properties that will enable a broad range of applications in photonics, electronics, and sensors. They can be applied to solar cells and artificial photosynthesis for enhanced solar energy conversions, and to optical sensors and spectroscopy for disease diagnosis, food safety and environmental monitoring.
UT Austin Researchers: Bharath Bangalore Rajeeva, Michael Rukavina, Zilong Wu, Michael Rukavina, Yuebing Zheng
Discovery: A highly efficient, low-cost nanosphere lithography method called moiré nanosphere lithography.
This novel method of manufacturing generates complex nanostructures, including metasurfaces capable of controlling light in ways that are different from the conventional optical components such as lenses and waveplates.
Why It Matters: Metasurfaces fabricated with this method possess unique properties that will enable a broad range of applications in photonics, electronics, and sensors. They can be applied to solar cells and artificial photosynthesis for enhanced solar energy conversions, and to optical sensors and spectroscopy for disease diagnosis, food safety and environmental monitoring.
How: The researchers separated the identical top and bottom layer of the nanosphere bilayers to achieve a freedom for in-plane rotation in the top monolayer. Instead of using conventional spontaneous self-assembly, they utilized sequentially stacked polystyrene nanosphere monolayers to form a bilayer crystal. Sequential stacking leads to the forming of moiré patterns that have large tunability and complexity for enhanced precision and control, which the conventional self-assembly cannot afford.
Published: ACS Nano, “Moiré Nanosphere Lithography”
What’s Next: The researchers will continue to pursue construction of robust patterns and determine techniques for the precise control of relative rotational angles between the neighboring layers in order to obtain moiré patterns that can be designed specifically for different applications. Additionally, controllable stacking of trilayers or multilayers will enable fabrication of large-scale three-dimensional moiré structures.
