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Electrically controlled nanostructured metasurface loaded with liquid crystal : toward multifunctional photonic switch

Electrically controlled nanostructured metasurface loaded with liquid crystal : toward multifunctional photonic switch
Electrically controlled nanostructured metasurface loaded with liquid crystal : toward multifunctional photonic switch
Achieving an efficient spectral tuning in liquid-crystal (LC)-loaded active photonic metamaterials has so far remained a challenge due to strong surface anchoring of LC molecules. This paper reports on a novel approach in the development of hybrid metamaterials that enables to overcome this problem and engage for the first time in-plane switching of liquid-crystal molecules on the nanoscale. Combined with the usual volume switching, it unlocks the full potential of the liquid crystals as a functional component of active metamaterial hybrids operating at optical frequencies. As a result, the resonant response of an active metasurface can now be controlled both in terms of its magnitude and wavelength with the spectral tunability approaching the theoretical limit of 9%. This mechanism of two-way active switching of the hybrid metamaterial is also confirmed theoretically by simulating the distribution of the LC director around the metamaterial fabric.
liquid crystals, hybrid metamaterials, nanostructured metasurfaces, metamaterials
674-679
Buchnev, Oleksandr
60cdb0d2-3388-47be-a066-61b3b396f69d
Podoliak, Nina
0908b951-00a7-48a5-bc82-631640910b9c
Kaczmarek, Malgosia
408ec59b-8dba-41c1-89d0-af846d1bf327
Zheludev, Nikolay I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Fedotov, Vassili A.
3725f5cc-2d0b-4e61-95c5-26d187c84f25
Buchnev, Oleksandr
60cdb0d2-3388-47be-a066-61b3b396f69d
Podoliak, Nina
0908b951-00a7-48a5-bc82-631640910b9c
Kaczmarek, Malgosia
408ec59b-8dba-41c1-89d0-af846d1bf327
Zheludev, Nikolay I.
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Fedotov, Vassili A.
3725f5cc-2d0b-4e61-95c5-26d187c84f25

Buchnev, Oleksandr, Podoliak, Nina, Kaczmarek, Malgosia, Zheludev, Nikolay I. and Fedotov, Vassili A. (2015) Electrically controlled nanostructured metasurface loaded with liquid crystal : toward multifunctional photonic switch. Advanced Optical Materials, 3 (5), 674-679. (doi:10.1002/adom.201400494).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Achieving an efficient spectral tuning in liquid-crystal (LC)-loaded active photonic metamaterials has so far remained a challenge due to strong surface anchoring of LC molecules. This paper reports on a novel approach in the development of hybrid metamaterials that enables to overcome this problem and engage for the first time in-plane switching of liquid-crystal molecules on the nanoscale. Combined with the usual volume switching, it unlocks the full potential of the liquid crystals as a functional component of active metamaterial hybrids operating at optical frequencies. As a result, the resonant response of an active metasurface can now be controlled both in terms of its magnitude and wavelength with the spectral tunability approaching the theoretical limit of 9%. This mechanism of two-way active switching of the hybrid metamaterial is also confirmed theoretically by simulating the distribution of the LC director around the metamaterial fabric.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 2 January 2015
Published date: May 2015
Keywords: liquid crystals, hybrid metamaterials, nanostructured metasurfaces, metamaterials
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre, Physics & Astronomy, Quantum, Light & Matter Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 377226
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/377226
PURE UUID: 253d3af0-f25b-47cf-ba48-0ac73e7d9603
ORCID for Nina Podoliak: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3146-0355
ORCID for Nikolay I. Zheludev: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1013-6636

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 May 2015 08:54
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:36

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Contributors

Author: Oleksandr Buchnev
Author: Nina Podoliak ORCID iD
Author: Nikolay I. Zheludev ORCID iD
Author: Vassili A. Fedotov

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