Chiral Se Nanobrooms with Wavelength and Polarization Sensitive Scattering

• Published in: Advanced functional materials 2023-07, Vol.33 (29), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Kwon, Junyoung, Parton, Thomas G., Choi, Youngeun, Lee, Sang‐Gil, Frka‐Petesic, Bruno, Lee, Jaebeom, Vignolini, Silvia, Yeom, Jihyeon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: chiral single nanostructures; Circular polarization; circularly polarized scattering; Colloiding; color routing; Crystal structure; Dielectric strength; Dispersions; high‐index dielectric nanostructures; Inks; Magnetic resonance; Materials science; Morphology; Nanostructure; Resonance scattering; Three dimensional printing; trigonal selenium
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202300927

High‐index dielectric nanostructures offer strong magnetic and electric resonances in the visible range and low optical losses, stimulating research interest in their use for light manipulation technologies. Lithographic fabrication of dielectric nanostructures, while providing precise control over the pattern dimensions, limits the scalability of this approach for practical applications due to an inefficient fabrication process and limited production quantity. Here, the colloidal synthesis of high‐index chiral dielectric nanostructures with a broom‐like geometry made from trigonal Se is demonstrated. The anisotropic morphology and crystal structure of Se nanobrooms enable both linearly and circularly polarized scattering, as well as spectrum variation along the particle axis, which is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first observation of such behavior from dielectric colloidal nanostructures. To show the versatility of the highly scattering Se NB suspensions, 2D and 3D printing of Se NB inks are demonstrated as a proof of concept. This approach provides a way to manipulate light using aqueous dispersions of high‐index dielectric nanostructures, unlocking their potential to fit in various morphologies and dimensions in 2D and 3D for broad applications. This study shows the colloidal synthesis of high‐index chiral dielectric nanostructures with a broom‐like geometry made from trigonal Se. The anisotropic morphology and crystal structure of Se nanobrooms enable both linearly and circularly polarized scattering, as well as color spectrum variation along the broom axis. The versatility of Se nanostructure suspension is demonstrated as 2D and 3D printing inks as proof of concept.