Haofei Shi

Surface plasmon polariton propagation and combination in Y-shaped metallic channels

The propagation and combination of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in Y-shaped metallic nanochannels are investigated numerically via finite difference time domain (FDTD). It is shown that the behavior of SPPs in nano-size channels resembles that of light guiding in conventional waveguides, and SPPs can also be combined effectively with appropriately designed structures. The loss associated with metal absorption and scattering with the multiple reflections between slit openings on the bend angle are analyzed numerically. The Fabry-Perot cavity effect displayed by SPPs traveling in channels with finite length is discussed as well.

Focal length modulation based on a metallic slit surrounded with grooves in curved depths

According to the numerical calculation, the relative phase of emitting light scattered by surface plasmon in a single subwavelength metallic groove can be modulated by the groove depth. The focal length of the slit-groove-based focusing structures can be adjusted in certain value if the groove depths are arranged in traced profile. With the regulation of the groove depth profile, it is possible to modify the focus position in the precision of nanoscale without increasing the size of the nanodevice. The simulation results verify that the method is effective for the design of nano-optical devices such as optical microprobes.

Enhancing Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerator by Filling High Dielectric Nanoparticles into Sponge PDMS Film

Understanding of the triboelectric charge accumulation from the view of materials plays a critical role in enhancing the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). In this paper, we have designed a feasible approach to modify the tribo-material of TENG by filling it with high permittivity nanoparticles and forming pores. The influence of dielectricity and porosity on the output performance is discussed experimentally and theoretically, which indicates that both the surface charge density and the charge transfer quantity have a close relationship with the relative permittivity and porosity of the tribo-material. A high output performance TENG based on a composite sponge PDMS film (CS-TENG) is fabricated by optimizing both the dielectric properties and the porosity of the tribo-material. With the combination of the enhancement of permittivity and production of pores in the PDMS film, the charge density of ∼19 nC cm(-2), open-circuit voltage of 338 V, and power density of 6.47 W m(-2) are obtained at working frequency of 2.5 Hz with the optimized film consisting of 10% SrTiO3 nanoparticles (∼100 nm in size) and 15% pores in volume, which gives over 5-fold power enhancement compared with the nanogenerator based on the pure PDMS film. This work gives a better understanding of the triboelectricity produced by the TENG from the view of materials and provides a new and effective way to enhance the performance of TENG from the material itself, not just its surface modification.

Wearable temperature sensor based on graphene nanowalls

We demonstrate an ultrasensitive wearable temperature sensor prepared using an emerging material, graphene nanowalls (GNWs), and its ease of combination with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Fabrication of the sensor allows for a polymer-assisted transfer method making it considerably facile, biocompatible and cost effective. The resultant device exhibits a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) as high as 0.214 °C−1, which is three fold higher than that of conventional counterparts. We attribute this to the excellent stretchability and thermal sensitivity of GNWs together with the large expansion coefficient of PDMS. Moreover, the sensor is capable of monitoring body temperature in real time, and it presents a quite fast response/recovery speed as well as long term stability. Such wearable temperature sensors could constitute a significant step towards integration with the next frontier in personalized healthcare and human–machine interface systems.

2D/3D perovskite hybrids as moisture-tolerant and efficient light absorbers for solar cells

The lifetime and power conversion efficiency are the key issues for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this paper, the development of 2D/3D perovskite hybrids (CA2PbI4/MAPbIxCl3-x) was firstly demonstrated to be a reliable method to combine their advantages, and provided a new concept for achieving both stable and efficient PSCs through the hybridization of perovskites. 2D/3D perovskite hybrids afforded significantly-improved moisture stability of films and devices without encapsulation in a high humidity of 63 ± 5%, as compared with the 3D perovskite (MAPbIxCl3-x). The 2D/3D perovskite-hybrid film did not undergo any degradation after 40 days, while the 3D perovskite decomposed completely under the same conditions after 8 days. The 2D/3D perovskite-hybrid device maintained 54% of the original efficiency after 220 hours, whereas the 3D perovskite device lost all the efficiency within only 50 hours. Moreover, the 2D/3D perovskite hybrid achieved comparable device performances (PCE: 13.86%) to the 3D perovskite (PCE: 13.12%) after the optimization of device fabrication conditions.

A high refractive index metamaterial at visible frequencies formed by stacked cut-wire plasmonic structures

A type of metamaterial composing of stacked cut-wire plasmonic structures has been designed, fabricated, and characterized. The excitation of electric resonance caused by the surface plasmons effect dominates the electric field states, so that the effective refractive index can behave as a dramatic increase at visible frequencies, which is intimately associated with the resonance strength and can be modulated by reasonably changing the structure geometries. The phenomenon has been demonstrated with the measured transmittances being in agreement with simulation results. And the effective parameters judged by Kramers–Kronig relations have been uniquely retrieved from the simulated transmission and reflection data.

Near-field visualization of focal depth modulation by step corrugated plasmonic slits

Nanometric plasmonic slits with stepped corrugations have been designed and fabricated to achieve plasmonic focusing and focal depth modulation. A scanning near-field optical microscope is employed to directly visualize the transmitted light from the slits. The near-field and far-field two-dimensional images taken at different planes parallel to the slit surface unambiguously demonstrated the focusing effect of the nanoslits. Furthermore, by forming stepped corrugations with either a concave or a convex profile on both sides of the slits, the phase of the transmitted beam can be effectively manipulated, thus allowing an accurate tuning of the focal depth.

Multiple directional beaming effect of metallic subwavelength slit surrounded by periodically corrugated grooves

It is demonstrated that multiple directional beaming effect can be realized by a metallic subwavelength slit surrounded by finite number of grooves based on mode expansion method. Each of the directional beaming is formed by superimposing two diffraction orders of spoof surface plasmon excited on the two corrugated sides of the slit. This delivers high contrast and considerably uniform energy distribution for the beaming directions.

Three-dimensional nanoscale Far-field Focusing of Radially Polarized Light by Scattering the SPPs with an Annular Groove

Three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale focusing of radially polarized light in far field by a simple plasmonic lens composed of an annular slit and a single concentric groove is reported. The numerical calculations reveal that the incident light is coupled to surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) by the annular slit and a focal spot with a size less than a half of the illumination wavelength is formed in the far field due to the constructive interference of the scattered light by the groove. More importantly, the focal length can be modulated by changing the groove diameter. This structure provides an admirable choice for the nano-optical devices.

Young’s interference of double metallic nanoslit with different widths

A type of metallic double nanoslit with different widths is proposed to investigate Youngs interference mediated by surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). Numerical calculations show that the Youngs interference order could be shifted readily by adjusting the width difference between two slits. Further calculations indicate that the interference order shift related to the additional phase retardation is caused by the distinct surface plasmon mode in two slits. Since the surface plasmon mode in a nanoslit is extremely sensitive to the incident wavelength, it suggests a potential way of ultrahigh resolution spectral analysis via measuring the shift of Youngs interference.