Nanostructured optical coatings with tailored spectral absorption properties are of interest for a wide range of applications such as spectroscopy, emissivity control, and solar energy harvesting. MRSEC researchers have designed and demonstrated a broadband, polarization-insensitive metamaterial with greater than 98% measured average absorptivity that is maintained over a wide ±45° field-of-view for mid-infrared wavelengths between 1.77 and 4.81 µm. This work represents a significant step toward realizing practical optical metamaterial absorbers that provide near-perfect broadband absorption over a specified super-octave bandwidth.
Penn State Center for Nanoscale Science (2020)
The Center for Nanoscale Science supports collaborative, interdisciplinary research efforts on nanoscale materials. Principal research activities are organized into two interdisciplinary research groups: 2D Polar Metals & Heterostructures and Crystalline Oxides with High Entropy. Center-initiated programs encourage collaborative partnerships with science museums and non-R1 universities as well as engagement in outreach, education, and workforce development initiatives.