Laser Joining and Transfer of Nanostructures for Microwave Sensors and Transparent Display

Laser processing can provide highly-controlled modification and on-demand fabrication of specific structures to manipulate microwaves and light in various applications. Here we present laser transfer and nanostructure joining for sensing and display purposes. We present laser joining that can significantly tune the nature of the silver nanoplates from dielectric to a conductor, thereby demonstrating the possibility of the one-step laser fabrication of microwave humidity sensors with remarkable sensitivity. The effective complex dielectric permittivity of the nanosilver without laser irradiation is positively correlated with the moisture stimuli, which enables humidity sensing by monitoring the response at the microwave frequency band. Laser transfer and joining of both nanosilver and nanosilica are present to tune the structures of nanomaterials and further reconfigure their optical properties at the macroscale. Optical coatings with either well-controlled absorbance or scattering are present with demonstrations of their applications in transparent displays.