Large-area stamping of 2D materials on patterned surfaces

Check out our recent publication in ACS Nano, where we present a new approach for transferring 2D materials onto patterned surfaces over large areas. Using deterministic stamping, we demonstrate the integration of atomically thin materials with nanoscale topography while maintaining high-quality interfaces. This approach enables scalable fabrication of hybrid 2D-material structures and provides new opportunities for integrating 2D materials with photonic and electronic devices.

Rapid mapping of bilayer MoS₂ stacking with SHG microscopy

Mapping bilayer MoS₂ stacking with SHG microscopy

In our latest publication in Applied Physics Letters, we demonstrate a rapid optical approach to identify the stacking orientation of bilayer MoS₂ grown by MOCVD. Using second-harmonic generation microscopy, we can distinguish different stacking configurations over large areas. This provides a fast and non-invasive method for characterizing scalable 2D material growth.

Finite-size effects in nonlocal metasurfaces

Our latest publication in ACS Photonics explores how the finite size of a metasurface influences its nonlocal optical response. We combine theory and experiments to show how the limited dimensions of a metasurface lead to interference effects and resonance broadening. These results provide important guidelines for designing high-Q nonlocal metasurfaces for compact optical devices.

Hydrating a salt against its will: mapping the metastability window of hydrated sodium sulfate for thermal energy storage

Check out our most recent publication in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C! Sodium sulfate is a promising material platform for thermal energy storage, where the giant latent heat of a phase transition can be leveraged to temporarily store thermal energy. However, the desired phase (mirabilite, hosting 10 water molecules) is hindered by the undesired formation of the metastable heptahydrate. In this work, we systematically map the nucleation and dissolution of both phases and discover that mirabilite nucleates very close to the formation temperature of ice, and cannot be stimulated via heterogeneous nucleation sites. This work highlights the need to gain control over the controlled nucleation of this salt to capitalise on its major potential for thermal energy storage.

Multifunctional metastructure combines mechanical and optical metamaterals for giant optical tunability

Check out our latest publication in ACS Photonics! Inspired by kirigami, we design a nanopatterned silicon membrane that supports a strong optical resonance which can be tuned over a large spectral range through simple mechanical stretching. This novel structure combines the best of two worlds into a multifunctional metastructure: the internal rotations and reconfigurations of mechanical metamaterials with the optical resonances of photonic metasurfaces.