Wavelength-Selective Three-Dimensional Thermal Emitters via Imprint Lithography and Conformal Metallization

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Mar 7;10(9):8173-8179. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b16902. Epub 2018 Feb 23.

Abstract

Metallic photonic crystals (MPCs) exhibit wavelength-selective thermal emission enhancements and are promising thermal optical devices for various applications. Here, we report a scalable fabrication strategy for MPCs suitable for high-temperature applications. Well-defined double-layer titanium dioxide (TiO2) woodpile structures are fabricated using a layer-by-layer soft-imprint method with TiO2 nanoparticle ink dispersions, and the structures are subsequently coated with high purity, conformal gold films via reactive deposition from supercritical carbon dioxide. The resulting gold-coated woodpile structures are effective MPCs and exhibit emissivity enhancements at a selective wavelength. Gold coatings deposited using a cold-wall reactor are found to be smoother and result in a greater thermal emission enhancement compared to those deposited using a hot-wall reactor.

Keywords: conformal coating; imprint lithography; supercritical fluid deposition; thermal emitter; wavelength-selective; woodpile structure.