CAREER: Kirigami-Actuated Adaptive Metasurfaces with Dynamic Tunability enabled by 2D Materials

职业：由 2D 材料实现的具有动态可调性的剪纸驱动自适应超表面

• 批准号: 2239822
• 负责人: Xu Zhang
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Carnegie-Mellon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2028-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2239822&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Kirigami; Actuated; Adaptive; Metasurfaces

Developing aggressively miniaturized and highly tunable optical devices using nanoscale antenna arrays, also known as metasurface, has a wide range of applications in biomedical imaging, drone-based sensing and imaging, wearable augmented reality glasses and artificial intelligence. Despite their great prospects, metasurfaces are essentially static and predefined by their initial geometry design and cannot be changed on the fly during the device operation. This can be a significant limitation in their optical functionalities. On the other hand, nature’s optical solutions are not static but movable, adaptive and highly tunable. For example, tunable irises enable vertebrates such as fish, reptiles and mammals to adapt to highly variable light environments with a range of 8-9 orders of magnitude. The research activities in this program aim to develop a new generation of ultralight optical devices with unconventional functionalities by introducing mechanically movable and optically tunable capabilities into their design and fabrication. This project will build kirigami-inspired nanoscale actuators and heterogeneously integrate them with tunable metasurfaces based on emerging nanomaterials. This interdisciplinary project provides unique opportunities at the intersection of physics, nanomechanics, nanophotonics and materials, which will promote students’ exposure to the frontiers of science and engineering. The program will also actively enhance the participation of underrepresented students in science and engineering. Metasurfaces are phased array antennas taken to the subwavelength regime, using sub-wavelength metallic and/or dielectric phase shifting optical elements to mold optical wavefronts into arbitrary shapes with a full 0-2π phase profile. Their extreme compactness and lightweight hold great promise in building dramatically miniaturized optical components for various imaging and sensing applications. Despite their potentials, metasurfaces are essentially static and with limited tunability, restricting their optical functions that can be achieved. The objective of this project is to use a holistic, co-design approach to develop metasurfaces with unprecedented mechanical and optical tunability by leveraging emerging kirigami metamaterials and van der Waals two-dimensional materials. The proposed research program includes the following activities: (1) explore the design space and fundamental limits of nanoscale mechanical structures in terms of elastic strain limit and mechanical instability, and build nanoscale kirigami actuators that would be difficult to achieve by conventional fabrication methods and micro-electromechanical systems; (2) investigate tunable light-matter interactions in graphene and layered transitional metal dichalcogenides and develop highly tunable metasurfaces; and (3) develop innovative approaches for the co-design and heterogeneous integration of kirigami tunable metasurface platform. The scope of this research program also provides unique outreach and educational opportunities to train next generation scientists and engineers to tackle interdisciplinary problems, and to broaden inspiration and mentoring of underrepresented students in science and engineering.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.

使用纳米级天线阵列（也称为MetaSurface）开发积极的微型和高度可调的光学设备，在生物医学成像，基于无人机的灵敏度和成像，可穿戴的增强现实玻璃和人工智能中具有广泛的应用。尽管有很大的前景，但元面是基本上是静态的，并且由它们的初始几何设计预定，并且在设备操作过程中不能随时更改。这可能是其光学功能的重要限制。另一方面，大自然的光学解决方案不是静态的，而是可移动，适应性和高度调节的。例如，可调虹膜使脊椎动物（如鱼类，爬行动物和哺乳动物）能够适应高度可变的光环境，范围为8-9个数量级。该计划中的研究活动旨在通过将机械可移动和光学可调的功能引入其设计和制造中，开发具有非常规功能的新一代超轻型光学设备。该项目将建立基里加米（Kirigami）启发的纳米级执行器，并将它们与基于新兴纳米材料的可调式延误融合在一起。这个跨学科项目在物理学，纳米力学，纳米机械和材料的交集中提供了独特的机会，这将促进学生对科学和工程领域的接触。该计划还将积极增强代表性不足的学生参与科学和工程的参与。元时间是使用子波长的金属和/或饮食相位转移光学元件的阶段阵列天线，将光学波动元素塑造成具有全0-2π相曲线的任意形状。它们的极端紧凑性和轻巧的人在构建各种成像和传感应用的巨大微型光学组件方面具有巨大的希望。尽管具有潜力，但跨境基本上是静态的，并且可线性有限，从而限制了它们可以实现的光学功能。该项目的目的是使用整体，共同设计的方法来开发具有前所未有的机械和光学可控制性的跨境，并利用新兴的Kirigami替代材料和Van der Waals二维材料。拟议的研究计划包括以下活动：（1）根据弹性应变极限和机械不稳定性探索纳米级机械结构的设计空间和基本限制，并构建纳米级的kirigami执行器，这些执行器将很难通过传统的制造方法和微电力学系统来实现； （2）研究石墨烯和分层过渡金属二盐元中的可调节光物质相互作用，并开发了高度可调的跨面； （3）开发了Kirigami可调元面平台共同设计和异质整合的创新方法。该研究计划的范围还提供了独特的宣传和教育机会，以培训下一代科学家和工程师解决跨学科问题，并扩大了科学和工程领域中代表性不足的学生的灵感和心理化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识优点和广泛的攻击来评估，认为NSF的法定任务是宝贵的。