Optical Absorbers and Nano-electro-mechanical-systems Enabled by Low-dimensionality Nanomaterials

Inspired by the impact new and improved materials have had on society over the centuries, in the “nano” age, it is fascinating to see how nanotechnology is helping address technologically pressing issues such as electronics beyond Moore’s Law, or grand challenge areas such as healthcare and energy. While there are a plethora of nanomaterials each with their unique properties, in this talk I will discuss two areas where we have utilized the remarkable electrical, mechanical, and optical properties of carbon-based nanomaterials to device applications. In the first area, I will highlight our work in developing high-efficiency optical absorbers that are extremely absorbing into the IR wavelengths and have potential applications in radiometry and energy harnessing. In the second area, motivated by the need for energy efficient green electronics, I will describe our work on nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS), where the devices are formed using high-throughput, nanomanufacturable techniques and abrupt switching characteristics are observed. Such NEMS structures can also be adapted for high-sensitivity mass sensing applications with possibilities for robust, wide-dynamic range sensors. We are also exploring graphene-like Van der Waals solids that have immense prospects for exciting device applications in nanoelectronics, sensing, energy harvesting and flexible electronic.