Superstructures of chiral nematic microspheres as all-optical switchable distributors of light.
Superstructures of chiral nematic microspheres as all-optical switchable distributors of light.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep14183
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发表时间：
2015-09-24
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Katsonis N
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Aβhoff SJ;Sukas S;Yamaguchi T;Hommersom CA;Le Gac S;Katsonis N
光技术的基础是产生、检测和控制光的波长、偏振和方向。新兴应用范围从电子和电信到健康、国防和安全。特别是，数据传输和通信技术目前要求越来越复杂和快速的设备，因此人们对可用于传输光以及控制光在空间和时间上的分布的材料越来越感兴趣。在这里，我们设计了手性向列微球，其形状使其能够在各个方向反射不同波长和旋向的光。这些尺寸明确的微球组装在有组织的六边形上层结构中，可以对光的颜色和手性具有高选择性进行光学通信。重要的是，当微球掺杂有光响应分子开关时，它们的手性光学通信可以逐渐调整，无论是波长逐渐调整还是偏振可逆调整。由于“开”和“关”切换的动力学可以通过掺杂剂的分子工程来调节，并且光子交叉通信对于入射光的手性具有选择性，因此这些光响应微球显示出手性全光分配器和开关的潜力，其中反射光的波长、手性和方向可以独立且可逆地控制。
Light technology is based on generating, detecting and controlling the wavelength, polarization and direction of light. Emerging applications range from electronics and telecommunication to health, defence and security. In particular, data transmission and communication technologies are currently asking for increasingly complex and fast devices, and therefore there is a growing interest in materials that can be used to transmit light and also to control the distribution of light in space and time. Here, we design chiral nematic microspheres whose shape enables them to reflect light of different wavelengths and handedness in all directions. Assembled in organized hexagonal superstructures, these microspheres of well-defined sizes communicate optically with high selectivity for the colour and chirality of light. Importantly, when the microspheres are doped with photo-responsive molecular switches, their chiroptical communication can be tuned, both gradually in wavelength and reversibly in polarization. Since the kinetics of the “on” and “off” switching can be adjusted by molecular engineering of the dopants and because the photonic cross-communication is selective with respect to the chirality of the incoming light, these photo-responsive microspheres show potential for chiroptical all-optical distributors and switches, in which wavelength, chirality and direction of the reflected light can be controlled independently and reversibly.