Devitrite-based optical diffusers

Haider Butt*, Kevin M. Knowles, Yunuen Montelongo, Gehan A J Amaratunga, Timothy D. Wilkinson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)
284 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Devitrite is a novel material produced by heat treatment of commercial soda-lime-silica glass. It consists of fans of needle-like crystals which can extend up to several millimeters and have interspacings of up to a few hundred nanometers. To date, only the material properties of devitrite have been reported, and there has been a distinct lack of research on using it for optical applications. In this study, we demonstrate that randomly oriented fans of devitrite crystals can act as highly efficient diffusers for visible light. Devitrite crystals produce phase modulation of light because of their relatively high anisotropy. The nanoscale spacings between these needles enable light to be diffused to large scattering angles. Experimentally measured results suggest that light diffusion patterns with beam widths of up to 120° are produced. Since devitrite is an inexpensive material to produce, it has the potential to be used in a variety of commercial applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2929-2935
Number of pages7
JournalACS Nano
Volume8
Issue number3
Early online date21 Feb 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Mar 2014

Keywords

  • devitrite
  • diffraction
  • diffusers
  • nanoscale spacings

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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