Nano-achiral complex composites for extreme polarization optics

Jun Lu, Wenbing Wu, Felippe Mariano Colombari, Ali Jawaid, Bryan Seymour, Kody Whisnant, Xiaoyang Zhong, Wonjin Choi, Nikolaos Chalmpes, Joerg Lahann, Richard A. Vaia (), André Farias Moura (), Dhriti Nepal () and Nicholas A. Kotov ()
Additional contact information
Jun Lu: University of Michigan
Wenbing Wu: University of Michigan
Felippe Mariano Colombari: Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials
Ali Jawaid: Wright-Patterson AFB
Bryan Seymour: ARCTOS Technology Solutions
Kody Whisnant: University of Michigan
Xiaoyang Zhong: University of Michigan
Wonjin Choi: University of Michigan
Nikolaos Chalmpes: Cornell University
Joerg Lahann: University of Michigan
Richard A. Vaia: Wright-Patterson AFB
André Farias Moura: Federal University of São Carlos
Dhriti Nepal: Wright-Patterson AFB
Nicholas A. Kotov: University of Michigan

Nature, 2024, vol. 630, issue 8018, 860-865

Abstract: Abstract Composites from 2D nanomaterials show uniquely high electrical, thermal and mechanical properties1,2. Pairing their robustness with polarization rotation is needed for hyperspectral optics in extreme conditions3,4. However, the rigid nanoplatelets have randomized achiral shapes, which scramble the circular polarization of photons with comparable wavelengths. Here we show that multilayer nanocomposites from 2D nanomaterials with complex textured surfaces strongly and controllably rotate light polarization, despite being nano-achiral and partially disordered. The intense circular dichroism (CD) in nanocomposite films originates from the diagonal patterns of wrinkles, grooves or ridges, leading to an angular offset between axes of linear birefringence (LB) and linear dichroism (LD). Stratification of the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembled nanocomposites affords precise engineering of the polarization-active materials from imprecise nanoplatelets with an optical asymmetry g-factor of 1.0, exceeding those of typical nanomaterials by about 500 times. High thermal resilience of the composite optics enables operating temperature as high as 250 °C and imaging of hot emitters in the near-infrared (NIR) part of the spectrum. Combining LBL engineered nanocomposites with achiral dyes results in anisotropic factors for circularly polarized emission approaching the theoretical limit. The generality of the observed phenomena is demonstrated by nanocomposite polarizers from molybdenum sulfide (MoS2), MXene and graphene oxide (GO) and by two manufacturing methods. A large family of LBL optical nanocomponents can be computationally designed and additively engineered for ruggedized optics.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07455-4

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