Flexible Nonlinear Plasmonic Metasurfaces with Multiresonant Composite Enhancement

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Non-technical Description: Plasmonic metasurfaces are two-dimensional nanoantenna arrays that can control the propagation of light. They are ultrathin, easy to fabricate and feature superior nonlinear optical properties compared with bulky materials. For example, such nanomaterials can be used convert coherent light from one color to another. This process is important for emerging applications in quantum communications, computing, and sensing. This project focuses on the design, fabrication, and characterization of plasmonic metasurfaces that can concentrate light over a broad color range and efficiently convert coherent light between different colors. The PI will also develop a scalable, low-cost approach to create flexible ultrathin nanomaterials with a biocompatible microporous structure for biosensing and imaging. The project will advance STEM education through an engaging undergraduate photonics course that connects photonics and nanotechnology to real-world applications. The PI will promote educational diversity by actively participating in local K-12 STEM events and recruit underrepresented students to the research team. The scientific outcomes of this project will be disseminated to a broad audience through creative exhibits in the science festival and outreach activities for K-12 students.Technical Description: Simultaneous nanolocalized enhancement of excitation and emission transitions in nonlinear processes remains a challenge in nanophotonics research but can offer many applications in coherent light conversion, imaging, sensing, quantum optics, and spectroscopy. To address this challenge, the research team proposes to develop a new type of ultrathin nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces, consisting of periodic metal-dielectric nanoantenna nanomaterials, to enhance nonlinear coherent light conversion processes, including second harmonic generation (SHG) and third harmonic generation (THG). The research objectives include: (1) Elucidating the structure-property relationships in engineering multiresonant optical properties of nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces; (2) Determining SHG and THG responses from nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces with multiresonant composite enhancement; (3) Developing a scalable, low-cost nanofabrication approach to integrating ultrathin nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces with biocompatible flexible polymeric meshes. This research can advance fundamental knowledge in nonlinear nanophotonics by revealing the relationship between geometry-material-resonance characteristics in plasmonic metasurfaces and their nonlinear light conversion performance. This project can generate practical insights into rational design and scalable nanofabrication methods to create flexible plasmonic metasurface meshes for bio-interfaced nonlinear optical sensing and imaging applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.