Self-Assembling Volumetric Optical Metamaterials

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: A central challenge of nanotechnology is to convert abundant, naturally occurring materials into high performance materials with desired properties. Inverse design is one way to create materials with extraordinary optical properties such as invisibility. In this approach, a computer algorithm combines just two materials such as sand and air into tiny three-dimensional structures with the desired optical properties. However, the extreme complexity of resulting designs makes them extremely difficult and costly to make. This project aims to develop a new approach for facile synthesis of materials with special optical properties. The investigators will develop a new nanoscale synthesis approach that exploits the remarkable programmability of DNA to enable construction of 3D structures that previously existed only in theory. Nanoscale particles will be decorated with DNA strands with precise sequences and locations, inducing their self-assembly into “inversely designed” structures. The research team will characterize these new materials and explore how their use in high performance devices. The proposed research will yield a general approach to design and synthesize materials with unprecedented scalability and precision, while eliminating the need for expensive and unsustainable nanofabrication facilities. The PI is committed to empowering the creativity and adoption of the new approach by diverse students of all ages. Towards that end, the proposed research concepts will be disseminated via inclusive mentoring and outreach activities for students spanning high school, college, and graduate levels. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The overarching goal of this project is to develop an approach to self-assemble nanoscale dielectric and plasmonic “material voxels” into volumetric metamaterials with arbitrary photonic functions in the visible spectrum. This research will take powerful concepts developed in the fields of electromagnetic inverse design and DNA nanotechnology and combines them to construct materials with previously unattainable optical functions. The self-assembly of nanoscale inorganic voxels will be achieved by embedding DNA recognition capabilities into them. The main scientific challenges to tackle are: (1) How to synthesize DNA-functionalized material voxels. Several ways to transfer the unique addressability of DNA origami from a 2D DNA-only breadboard to a 3D material voxel surface will be explored. (2) How to self-assemble voxels into microstructures with arbitrary photonic functions such as color sorting. Several strategies to self-assemble the DNA-functionalized voxels into desired nanophotonic architectures will be developed. (3) How to design and characterize optical functions for multivoxel architectures. The investigators will construct architectures with several specific functions in visible and IR windows and characterize them. (4) How to precisely place optical elements onto existing devices. Integration of the obtained architectures with existing optoelectronic device platforms will be explored. The ultimate goal is to turn self-assembly into a versatile, robust, and accessible tool for practical construction of photonic materials and beyond. 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.