University of Toronto

Hernan Miguez

Geoffrey Alan Ozin

San Ming Yang

Andre Arsenault

Ian Manners

This invention describes methods of synthesis and applications of a composite material of a colloidal crystal and a substrate. The method includes steps of (a) providing a substrate having a surface with a surface relief pattern; and (b) applying a liquid dispersion containing colloidal particles onto the surface and spinning the substrate whereby colloidal particles are swept across the surface and self-assemble in void spaces on the surface defined by the relief pattern. The resulting composite material (substrate with colloidal crystal) may be used in various applications such as chromatography, for use in lab-on-chip based devices, micro-reactors and the like. The material may be infiltrated by a material and the composite inverted to remove the colloidal particles to produce an inverted colloidal crystal pattern on the substrate. The material may be selected such that the inverted colloidal crystal pattern is a photonic crystal.

Method of self-assembly and optical applications of crystalline colloidal patterns on substrates

A method of wavelength tuning a composite material. The method includes the steps of: producing an ordered array of first constituents having a first refractive index embedded within a cross-linked metallopolymer network having a second refractive index different than the first refractive index, the ordered array of first constituents having a lattice spacing giving rise to Bragg diffraction when the composite material is illuminated; and switching the electronic configuration of the cross-linked metallopolymer network so that the cross-linked polymer network changes dimensions and modulates the lattice spacing of the ordered array of first constituents, which shifts the Bragg diffraction wavelength to a pre-selected wavelength.

Widely wavelength tunable polychrome colloidal photonic crystal device

The present invention discloses a widely wavelength tunable polychrome colloidal photonic crystal device whose optical Bragg diffraction stop bands and higher energy bands wavelength, width and intensity can be tuned in a continuous and fine, rapid and reversible, reproducible and predictable fashion and over a broad spectral range by a controlled expansion or contraction of the colloidal photonic lattice dimension, effected by a predetermined change in the electronic configuration of the composite material. In its preferred embodiment, the material is a composite in the form of a film or a patterned film or shape of any dimension or array of shapes of any dimension comprised of an organized array of microspheres in a matrix of a cross-linked metallopolymer network with a continuously variable redox state of charge and fluid content. The chemo-mechanical and electro-mechanical optical response of the colloidal photonic crystal-metallopolymer gel is exceptionally fast and reversible, attaining its fully swollen state from the dry shrunken state and vice versa on a sub-second time-scale. These composite materials can be inverted by removal of the constituent microspheres from the aforementioned colloidal photonic crystal metallopolymer-gel network to create a macroporous metallopolymer-gel network inverse colloidal photonic crystal film or patterned film or shape of any dimension optical Bragg diffraction stop bands and higher energy bands wavelength, width and intensity can be redox tuned in a continuous and fine, rapid and reversible, reproducible and predictable fashion and over a broad spectral range by a controlled expansion or contraction of the colloidal photonic lattice dimensions.

Widely wavelength tuneable polychrome colloidal photonic crystal device

This invention describes methods of synthesis and applications of planarized photonic crystals. Provided are simple, quick, reproducible and inexpensive methods that combine self-assembly and lithography to achieve the first examples of vectorial control of thickness, structure, area, topology, orientation and registry of colloidal crystals that have been patterned in substrates for use in lab-on-chip and photonic chip technologies. 1-, 2 and 3-D colloidal crystals patterned either on or within substrates can be used for templating inverted colloidal crystal replica patterns made of materials like silicon as well as building micron scale structural defects in such colloidal crystals. These photonic crystals can form the basis of a range of optical devices that may be integrated within photonic chips and coupled to optical fibers and/or waveguides to enable development of highly compact planarized optically integrated photonic crystal devices and circuits for use in future all-optical computers and optical telecommunication systems.

Composite materials having colloidal photonic crystals patterned in substrates for use in different technologies including lab-on-chip and photonic chip technologies. The colloidal crystals are patterned either on or within surface relief patterns in the substrates of the composite materials and each colloidal crystal exhibits Bragg diffraction.

Growing community of inventors

Toronto, Canada

Hernan Miguez