Electro-Optical Device with Tunable Transparency Using Colloidal Core/Shell Nanoparticles

Abstract

Here, suspended particle devices (SPDs) adapted for controlling the transmission of electromagnetic radiation have become an area of considerable focus for smart window technology due to their desirable properties, such as instant and precise light control and cost-effectiveness. Here, we demonstrate a SPD with tunable transparency in the visible regime using colloidal assemblies of nanoparticles. The observed transparency using ZnS/SiO 2 core/shell colloidal nanoparticles is dynamically tunable in response to an external electric field with increased transparency when applied voltage increases. The observed transparency change is attributed to structural ordering of nanoparticle assemblies and thereby modifies the photonic band structures, as confirmed by the finite-difference time-domain simulations of Maxwell’s equations. The transparency of the device can also be manipulated by changing the particle size and the device thickness. In addition to transparency, structural colorations and their dynamic tunability are demonstrated using α-Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 core/shell nanomaterials, resulting from the combination of inherent optical properties of α-Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 nanomaterials and coloration due to their tunable structural particle assemblies in response to electric stimuli.