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Scalable, ultra-resistant structural colors based on network metamaterials

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posted on 2023-06-09, 07:33 authored by Henning Galinski, Gael Favraud, Hao Dong, Juan Sebastian Totero Gongora, Favaro Gregory, Max Döbeli, Ralph Spolenak, Andrea Fratalocchi, Federico Capasso
Structural colors have drawn wide attention for their potential as a future printing technology for various applications, ranging from biomimetic tissues to adaptive camouflage materials. However, an efficient approach to realize robust colors with a scalable fabrication technique is still lacking, hampering the realization of practical applications with this platform. Here, we develop a new approach based on large-scale network metamaterials that combine dealloyed subwavelength structures at the nanoscale with lossless, ultra-thin dielectric coatings. By using theory and experiments, we show how subwavelength dielectric coatings control a mechanism of resonant light coupling with epsilon-near-zero regions generated in the metallic network, generating the formation of saturated structural colors that cover a wide portion of the spectrum. Ellipsometry measurements support the efficient observation of these colors, even at angles of 70°. The network-like architecture of these nanomaterials allows for high mechanical resistance, which is quantified in a series of nano-scratch tests. With such remarkable properties, these metastructures represent a robust design technology for real-world, large-scale commercial applications.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Light: Science and Applications

ISSN

2095-5545

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Issue

6

Volume

2017

Article number

e16233

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2017-11-15

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2017-11-15

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2017-11-15

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