DNA Origami Derived Passive NIR-MWIR Photonics

• Further development of DNA origami based metamaterials to deliver efficient frequency shifting structures to convert MWIR and NIR light into the visible region; 

• Characterise the performance and robustness of these metamaterials; 

• And develop methods to integrate the metamaterials into carrier materials to facilitate manufacturing.

Description

The Mk1 eyeball is a remarkable and delicate organ. Vision is our primary sensing modality in many environments, and eye protection from foreign bodies or high-energy radiation is vital. This provides an opportunity space for the development of technologies to integrate enhanced sensing into eyeware. The ability to be able to perceive radiation in currently invisible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum could create significant advantage in threat identification and target acquisition. Non-linear (up-conversion) metamaterials are able to frequency shift infrared light into the visible region. Integrating such materials into eyeware could enable the passive perception of heat signatures and laser-illuminated objects. This project seeks to build on our ability to fabricate metamaterials from DNA nanotechnology. We will design, build and test metamaterial up-conversion structures to understand their performance and robustness. We shall develop strategies to embed our metamaterials in, or coat them onto, macroscale devices for further assessment as potential materials for low-cost eyeware.