Light reflection from computer monitors, car dashboards and any other optical surface can impair the legibility of displays, degrade transmission of optical components and in some cases may even pose safety hazards. Antireflective coatings are therefore widely used, but existing antireflection technologies often perform sub-optimally or are expensive to implement. Here we present an alternative approach to antireflection coatings, based on an extension of our photo-aligning and photo-patterning technology for liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and liquid-crystal polymer films with smooth surfaces to optical polymer films with controlled surface topologies. Nano- and micro-corrugated topologies are shown to result from optically induced monomer phase-separation on the polymer surfaces. The properties of the resulting films make them suitable high-performance and low-cost antireflection coatings for optical components of virtually any size, shape and material. Moreover, the approach can be used to form a wide range of other functional polymer thin films with isotropic as well as anisotropic topologies. For example, films can be produced whose optical birefringence exceeds that of the birefringence of the polymer material itself. These new films can also be used as diffractive thin films, diffusers, and directional reflectors which preserve light polarization, or as substrates for aligning liquid crystals to produce bright, low-power-consumption LCDs with integrated optical functions and memory.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35071039 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The Effect of Ga-Ion Irradiation on Sub-Micron-Wavelength Spin Waves in Yttrium-Iron-Garnet Films.
Nanotechnology
January 2025
Technische Universität München School of Computation Information and Technology, Hans-Piloty-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching bei Muenchen, Munich, 85748, GERMANY.
We investigate the effect of focused-ion-beam (FIB) irradiation on spin waves with sub-micron wavelengths in Yttrium-Iron-Garnet (YIG) films. Time-resolved scanning transmission X-ray (TR-STXM) microscopy was used to image the spin waves in irradiated regions and deduce corresponding changes in the magnetic parameters of the film. We find that the changes of Gairradiation can be understood by assuming a few percent change in the effective magnetizationof the film due to a trade-off between changes in anisotropy and effective film thickness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolarimetric Compressed Sensing with Hollow, Self-Assembled Diffractive Films.
ACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States.
Sensing light's polarization and wavefront direction enables surface curvature assessment, material identification, shadow differentiation, and improved image quality in turbid environments. Traditional polarization cameras utilize multiple sensor measurements per pixel and polarization-filtering optics, which result in reduced image resolution. We propose a nanophotonic pipeline that enables compressive sensing and reduces the sampling requirements with a low-refractive-index, self-assembled optical encoder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoengineered RF-Sputtered MnO Cathode Thin Films for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: Insights into Diffusion Dynamics and Application Potential.
J Phys Chem Lett
January 2025
Thin film Energy Storage Laboratory, Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur 603 203Tamil Nadu India.
Manganese oxides are a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), but thin-film configurations remain underexplored. This study investigates the electrochemical dynamics of 60 nm thin MnO thin films, fabricated via RF magnetron reactive sputtering. It addresses the highest reported capacity (25 mAh/g) in thin film form, stability over 500 cycles, effective performance across varying current rates, surpassing previous studies and challenges such as phase stability, and capacity fading over extended cycling, aiming to enhance uniformity, minimizing diffusion barriers for improved performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrystallographic Spin Torque Conductivity Tensor of Epitaxial IrO Thin Films for Oxide Spintronics.
Adv Mater
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
Unconventional spin-orbit torques arising from electric-field-generated spin currents in anisotropic materials have promising potential for spintronic applications, including for perpendicular magnetic switching in high-density memory applications. Here, all the independent elements of the spin torque conductivity tensor allowed by bulk crystal symmetries for the tetragonal conductor IrO are determined via measurements of conventional (in-plane) anti-damping torques for IrO thin films in the high-symmetry (001) and (100) orientations. It is then tested whether rotational transformations of this same tensor can predict both the conventional and unconventional anti-damping torques for IrO thin films in the lower-symmetry (101), (110), and (111) orientations, finding good agreement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegrating machine learning with advanced processing and characterization for polycrystalline materials: a methodology review and application to iron-based superconductors.
Sci Technol Adv Mater
December 2024
JST-CREST, Saitama, Japan.
In this review, we present a new set of machine learning-based materials research methodologies for polycrystalline materials developed through the Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology project of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. We focus on the constituents of polycrystalline materials (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!