Abstract:
Over the past few years, the field of micro-/nano- photonics has witnessed a surge in research focused on developing innovative optical devices that offer dynamic spectra engineering. Among the materials showing promise in this area, vanadium dioxide (VO
2) can actively manipulate its refractive index via a phase transition process, enabling the dynamic manipulation of spectra. In this work, a photosensitive polymer nanocomposite with tunable effective refractive index is prepared by incorporating VO
2 nanocrystals into methacrylate monomers, which takes advantages of the phase change characteristics of VO
2 and the photopolymerization properties of the monomer. In addition, with the aid of the state-of-the-art femtosecond laser processing technology, highly precise two-dimensional and three-dimensional micro-/nano- optical structures embedded with the phase change capabilities outlined by VO
2 are achieved. Fascinatingly, the spectra measurements via Fourier transform infrared spectrometer reveal that when subjected to the critical phase transition temperatures, the printed micro-/nano- structures will undergo a thermally induced phase transition of the VO
2 nanocrystals embedded within them. Consequently, there is a discernible alteration in the effective refractive index of the optically functionalized structure, inspiring the dynamic manipulation of the short-band spectra.