Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Harvard College

University of Exeter

The Penn State Research Foundation

Mathias Kolle

Joanna Aizenberg

Tanya Shirman

Nicolas Vogel

Michael Aizenberg

Robert Howe

Peter Vukusic

Sara N Nagelberg

Timothy Manning Swager

David A Weitz

Benjamin A Miller

Ian Burgess

Lauren Dell Zarzar

Katherine Reece Phillips

Stefanie Utech

Lukas Zeininger

Myles Herbert

Kent Harvey

Cecile Chazot

Amy Goodling

Benjamin Miller

Natalie Koay

Katherine Philips

The present disclosure describes photonic materials that reversibly change color in response to the material being stretched or otherwise mechanically deformed.

Deformable photonic materials and related methods

Articles and systems for dark microscopy and related methods are generally described.

Bragg light source for dark-field imaging devices

The present invention generally relates to the generation of tunable coloration and/or interference from, for example, surfaces, emulsion droplets and particles. Embodiments described herein may be useful for generation of tunable electromagnetic radiation such as coloration (e.g., iridescence, structural color) and/or interference patterns from, for example, surfaces (e.g., comprising a plurality of microdomes and/or microwells), emulsion droplets and/or particles. In some embodiments, the surfaces, interfaces, droplets, and/or particles produce visible color (e.g., structural color) without the need for dyes.

Articles and methods for generation of tunable coloration and interference

Embodiments described herein may be useful for optofluidic devices. For example, optofluidic devices using dynamic fluid lens materials represent an ideal platform to create versatile, reconfigurable, refractive optical components. For example, the articles described herein may be useful as fluidic tunable compound micro-lenses. Such compound micro-lenses may be composed of two or more components (e.g., two or more inner phases) that form stable bi-phase emulsion droplets in outer phases (e.g., aqueous media). In some embodiments, the articles described herein may be useful as light emitting droplets. Advantageously, the plurality of droplets may be configured such that light rays may modified (e.g., via stimulation of the droplets, exposure to an analyte such as a pathogen) to have a detectable emission intensity and/or angle of maximum emission intensity under a particular set of conditions.

Light emitting droplets and related methods

Methods for forming an interconnected network of solid material and pores, with metal residing only at the air/solid interface of the interconnected network structure are described. In certain embodiments, nanoparticle decorated sacrificial particles can be used as sacrificial templates for the formation of a porous structure having an interconnected network of solid material and interconnected network of pores. The nanoparticles reside predominantly at the air/solid interface and allow further growth and accessibility of the nanoparticles at defined positions of the interconnected structure. SEM and TEM measurements reveal the formation of 3D interconnected porous structures with nanoparticles residing predominantly at the air/solid interface of the interconnected structure.

High-surface area functional material coated structures

A structurally colored pigment is described that contains a plurality of photonic crystal particles dispersed in a medium, where each photonic crystal particles contains a plurality of spectrally selective absorbing components dispersed within the photonic crystal particle. In certain embodiments, each photonic crystal particle has a predetermined minimum number of repeat units of the photonic crystal structure. The structurally colored material provides improved reflectance, long-term stability, and control of the desired optical effects. The fabrication techniques described herein also provide high throughput and high yield allowing use in wide ranging applications from cosmetics, paints, signs, sensors, to packaging material.

Structurally colored materials with spectrally selective absorbing components and methods for making the same

The rolled photonic fibers presents two codependent, technologically exploitable features for light and color manipulation: regularity on the nanoscale that is superposed with microscale cylindrical symmetry, resulting in wavelength selective scattering of light in a wide range of directions. The bio-inspired photonic fibers combine the spectral filtering capabilities and color brilliance of a planar Bragg stack compounded with a large angular scattering range introduced by the microscale curvature, which also decreases the strong directional chromaticity variation usually associated with flat multilayer reflectors. Transparent and elastic synthetic materials equip the multilayer interference fibers with high reflectance that is dynamically tuned by longitudinal mechanical strain. A two-fold elongation of the elastic fibers results in a shift of reflection peak center wavelength of over 200 nm.

Band-gap tunable elastic optical multilayer fibers

Growing community of inventors

Hull, MA, United States of America

Mathias Kolle