CAREER: Three-Dimensional Multi-Scale Metallodielectric Materials

该职业奖由材料研究部的电子材料计划和化学部的实验物理化学计划共同资助。技术：该项目是研究三维(3D)金属介电超材料，它是通过多光子直接激光写入制造的，然后通过纳米颗粒结合和/或支架表面的化学镀来金属化。使用多光子直接激光写入，可以在单个光图案化步骤中创建具有几乎任何微米级几何形状的聚合物3D晶格。然后可以将单个纳米颗粒、纳米颗粒簇或连续的金属沉积到晶格上，从而提供对金属纳米级形貌的控制。这项研究的目的是调查和学习控制与制备3D光学金属介质材料有关的加工、沉积和生长现象，并开发预测能力，将所得到的纳米和微米级结构与这些材料的电磁性能和器件性能联系起来，从而实现新的应用，可能包括宽带电磁过滤和隐身、亚波长聚焦、超小型和高效率激光；非技术：该项目致力于材料科学、化学、纳米技术和光学等具有高度技术相关性的热门领域的基础研究，并有望提供一种灵活的新途径来制备三维超材料，这些材料具有迷人的光学性能，如超宽带等离子体带隙、光磁、外在修饰吸收/发射和负折射率。该技术项目通过PI的课堂教学、研究培训以及旨在吸引初中生、高中生和社区大学学生投身科学和技术职业的点对点外联活动，与教育相结合。这项研究预计将为外展计划和PI的教学产生令人兴奋的内容。通过与Orange Co.公立学校、巴伦西亚社区学院和塞米诺尔社区学院的合作，这一外展活动有可能影响佛罗里达州中部多种族地区的大量年轻人。该项目还将为研究生和本科生的跨学科培训提供一个极好的环境。

This CAREER award is co-funded by the Electronic Materials Program in the Division of Materials Research and the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division.Technical: The project is to study three-dimensional (3D) metallodielectric metamaterials, which are fabricated using multiphoton direct laser writing, followed by metallization by nanoparticles binding and/or electrolessly plating of the scaffold surface. Using multiphoton direct laser writing, polymeric 3D lattices having virtually any micrometer-scale geometry can be created in a single photo-patterning step. Single nanoparticles, nanoparticles clusters, or continuous metal can then be deposited conformably onto the lattice, providing control over the metal nano-scale morphology. The objectives of the research are to investigate and learn to control processing, deposition, and growth phenomena relevant to preparing 3D optical metallodielectric materials and to develop predictive capabilities that relate the resulting nanometer- and micrometer-scale structures of these materials to their electromagnetic properties and device performance, thereby enabling new applications, which may include broad-band electromagnetic filtering and cloaking; sub-wavelength focusing; ultra-small and high-efficiency lasing; and low-intensity, all-optical switching.Non-technical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science, chemistry, nanotechnology, and optics with high technological relevance, and is expected to provide a flexible new route to fabricate three-dimensional metamaterials, which exhibit fascinating optical properties, such as ultra-wide plasmonic band gaps, optical magnetism, extrinsically modified absorption/emission, and negative refractive index. The technical project is integrated with education via the PI's classroom teaching; research training; and a peer-to-peer outreach designed to attract middle-school, high-school, and community-college students to science and technical careers. The research is expected to generate exciting content for the outreach program and the PI's teaching. The outreach has the potential to impact a large number of youths across multi-ethnic Central Florida through partnerships with Orange Co. Public Schools, Valencia Community College, and Seminole Community College. The project will also provide a superb context for interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students.