Flexible Nonlinear Plasmonic Metasurfaces with Multiresonant Composite Enhancement

非技术描述：等离子体超表面是可以控制光传播的二维纳米天线阵列。与笨重的材料相比，它们超薄，易于制造，具有优越的非线性光学特性。例如，这种纳米材料可以用来将相干光从一种颜色转换成另一种颜色。这一过程对于量子通信、计算和传感等新兴应用非常重要。该项目专注于等离子体超表面的设计、制造和表征，该超表面可以将光集中在广泛的颜色范围内，并有效地在不同颜色之间转换相干光。PI还将开发一种可扩展的、低成本的方法来制造具有生物相容性微孔结构的柔性超薄纳米材料，用于生物传感和成像。该项目将通过引人入胜的本科光子学课程推进STEM教育，将光子学和纳米技术与现实世界的应用联系起来。PI将积极参与本地的K-12 STEM活动，促进教育多样性，并招募代表性不足的学生加入研究团队。该项目的科学成果将通过科学节的创意展览和K-12学生的外展活动向广大观众传播。技术描述：非线性过程中激发和发射跃迁的同步纳米局部增强仍然是纳米光子学研究中的一个挑战，但可以在相干光转换，成像，传感，量子光学和光谱学中提供许多应用。为了解决这一挑战，研究小组提出开发一种新型超薄非线性等离子体超表面，由周期性金属-介电纳米天线纳米材料组成，以增强非线性相干光转换过程，包括二次谐波产生（SHG）和三次谐波产生（THG）。研究目标包括：(1)阐明非线性等离子体超表面工程多共振光学特性的结构-性质关系；(2)利用多共振复合增强技术测定非线性等离子体超表面的SHG和THG响应；(3)开发一种可扩展、低成本的纳米制造方法，将超薄非线性等离子体超表面与生物相容性柔性聚合物网相结合。本研究通过揭示等离子体超表面的几何-材料-共振特性与其非线性光转换性能之间的关系，可以推进非线性纳米光子学的基础知识。该项目可以为合理设计和可扩展的纳米制造方法提供实用的见解，以创建柔性等离子体超表面网格，用于生物界面非线性光学传感和成像应用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.