Strain to shine: stretching-induced three-dimensional symmetries in nanoparticle-assembled photonic crystals

Tong An, Xinyu Jiang, Feng Gao, Christian Schäfer, Junjun Qiu, Nan Shi, Xiaokun Song, Manyao Zhang, Chris E. Finlayson, Xuezhi Zheng, Xiuhong Li, Feng Tian, Bin Zhu, Tan Sui, Xianhong Han, Jeremy J. Baumberg (), Tongxiang Fan () and Qibin Zhao ()
Additional contact information
Tong An: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xinyu Jiang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Feng Gao: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Christian Schäfer: Dispersions & Resins
Junjun Qiu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Nan Shi: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xiaokun Song: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Manyao Zhang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Chris E. Finlayson: Prifysgol Aberystwyth University
Xuezhi Zheng: KU Leuven
Xiuhong Li: Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Feng Tian: Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Bin Zhu: University of Surrey
Tan Sui: University of Surrey
Xianhong Han: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Jeremy J. Baumberg: University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave
Tongxiang Fan: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Qibin Zhao: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Stretching elastic materials containing nanoparticle lattices is common in research and industrial settings, yet our knowledge of the deformation process remains limited. Understanding how such lattices reconfigure is critically important, as changes in microstructure lead to significant alterations in their performance. This understanding has been extremely difficult to achieve due to a lack of fundamental rules governing the rearrangements. Our study elucidates the physical processes and underlying mechanisms of three-dimensional lattice transformations in a polymeric photonic crystal from 0% to over 200% strain during uniaxial stretching. Corroborated by comprehensive experimental characterizations, we present analytical models that precisely predict both the three-dimensional lattice structures and the macroscale deformations throughout the stretching process. These models reveal how the nanoparticle lattice and matrix polymer jointly determine the resultant structures, which breaks the original structural symmetry and profoundly changes the dispersion of photonic bandgaps. Stretching induces shifting of the main pseudogap structure out from the 1st Brillouin zone and the merging of different symmetry points. Evolutions of multiple photonic bandgaps reveal potential optical singularities shifting with strain. This work sets a new benchmark for the reconfiguration of soft material structures and may lay the groundwork for the study of stretchable three-dimensional topological photonic crystals.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49535-z

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