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When pursuing sustainable approaches to fabricate photonic structures, nature can be used as a source of inspiration for both the nanoarchitecture and the constituent materials. Although several biomaterials have been promised as suitable…
Many promising approaches for designing interactions of synthetic materials with light involve solid optical monocrystals and nanofabricated photonic crystal structures with spatially periodic variations of refractive index. Although their…
Porous materials are relevant for a broad range of technologies from catalysis and filtration, to tissue engineering and lightweight structures. Controlling the porosity of these materials over multiple length scales often leads to enticing…
Most paints contain pigments that absorb light and fade over time. A robust alternative can be found in nature, where structural coloration arises from the interference of light with submicron features. Plant-derived, cellulose nanocrystals…
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) form cholesteric architectures that can have color specific reflectivity and enable sustainable photonic films. However, achieving uniform color, suppressing iridescence, and accessing ordered defect structures…
Self-assembled nano and micro-structures, particularly those capable of responsive erasure and regeneration, have garnered significant interest for their applications in smart photonics and electronics. However, current techniques for…
Photonic crystal fibres (PCFs) are optical fibres that guide light using a modulated dielectric medium. They provide an exceptionally versatile platform for various applications, thanks to the flexibility with which light-guiding can be…
Topological textures in magnetically ordered materials are important case studies for fundamental research with promising applications in data science. They can also serve as photonic elements to mold electromagnetic fields endowing them…
Photonic materials with angular independent structural colour are highly desirable because they offer the broad viewing angles required for application as colorants in paints, cosmetics, textiles or displays. However, they are challenging…
Photonic balls are spheres tens of micrometers in diameter containing assemblies of nanoparticles or nanopores with a spacing comparable to the wavelength of light. When these nanoscale features are disordered, but still correlated, the…
Sculptured thin films (STFs) are nano-engineered materials whose columnar morphology is tailored to elicit desired optical responses upon excitation. Two canonical forms of STFs have been identified. Linear constitutive relations for…
Cellulose is the most abundant bio-polymer on earth. Cellulose fibres, such as the one extracted form cotton or woodpulp, have been used by humankind for hundreds of years to make textiles and paper. Here we show how, by engineering light…
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are elongated nanoparticles derived from natural cellulose, with potential applications ranging from rheological modifiers and emulsion stabilizers to photonic pigments and sensors. For most applications,…
Synthesis of rationally designed nanostructured materials with optimized mechanical properties, e.g., high strength with considerable ductility, requires rigorous control of diverse microstructural parameters including the mean size, size…
Exploiting elastic instability in thin films has proven a robust method for creating complex patterns and structures across a wide range of lengthscales. Even the simplest of systems, an elastic membrane with a lattice of pores, under…
3D printing technologies are currently enabling the fabrication of objects with complex architectures and tailored properties. In such framework, the production of 3D optical structures, which are typically based on optical transparent…
Nonlinear optical effects are used to generate coherent light at wavelengths difficult to reach with lasers. Materials periodically poled or nanostructured in the nonlinear susceptibility in three spatial directions are called 3D nonlinear…
Numerical Simulations are employed to create amorphous nano-films of a chosen thickness on a crystalline substrate which induces strain on the film. The films are grown by a vapor deposition technique which was recently developed to create…
Thin elastic films can spontaneously attach to liquid interfaces, offering a platform for tailoring their physical, chemical, and optical properties. Current understanding of the elastocapillarity of thin films is based primarily on studies…
Photonic scattering materials, such as biological tissue and white paper, are made of randomly positioned nanoscale inhomogeneities in refractive index that lead to multiple scattering of light. Typically these materials, both…