arXiv subjects

Manchen Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Manchen Hu.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Metal Halide Perovskites for Violet and Ultraviolet Light Emission

Emissive metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have emerged as excellent candidates for next-generation optoelectronics due to their sharp color purity, inexpensive processing, and bandgap tunability. However, the development of violet and ultraviolet light-emitting MHPs has lagged behind due to challenges related to material and device stability, charge carrier transport, tunability into the ultraviolet spectrum, toxicity, and scalability. Here, we review the progress of both violet and ultraviolet MHP nanomaterials and light-emitting diodes, including materials synthesis and device fabrication across various crystal structures and dimensions (e.g., bulk thin films, 2D thin films, nanoplatelets, colloidal nanocrystals, and more) as well as lead-free platforms (e.g., rare-earth metal halide perovskites). By highlighting several pathways to continue the development of violet and ultraviolet light-emitting MHPs while also proposing tactics to overcome their outstanding challenges, we demonstrate the potential of state-of-the-art violet and ultraviolet MHP materials and devices for important applications in public health, 3D printing, nanofabrication, and more.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Lead-Free Europium Halide Perovskite Nanoplatelets

Metal halide perovskites possess desirable optical, material, and electrical properties which have had substantial impact on next-generation optoelectronics. However, given the toxicity of lead, alternative lead-free perovskite semiconductors are needed. By fully replacing lead with rare-earth elements, one can simultaneously address toxicity concerns and achieve comparable optoelectronic performance. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of two-dimensional europium halide perovskite nanoplatelets governed by the formula $\mathrm{L_{2}EuX_{4}}$ where L is an organic ligand and X is a halide anion. The structure, morphology, and composition of the nanoplatelets are confirmed by XRD, AFM, and XPS. Deep blue-emitting $\mathrm{PEA_{2}EuBr_{4}}$ perovskite nanoplatelets are synthesized in both the solution- and solid-states with photoluminescence emission centered at 446 nm and CIE color coordinates of (0.1515, 0.0327) and (0.1515, 0.0342), respectively. Additionally, near-ultraviolet $\mathrm{PEA_{2}EuCl_{4}}$ perovskite nanoplatelets are synthesized in both the solution- and solid-states with photoluminescence emission centered at 400 nm and 401 nm, respectively. Overall, europium halide perovskite nanoplatelets offer a lead-free alternative for deep blue, violet, and near-ultraviolet light emission $\unicode{x2013}$ charting new pathways for optoelectronics in this energy regime.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Low Power, Scalable Nanofabrication via Photon Upconversion

Micro- and nanoscale fabrication, which enables precise construction of intricate three-dimensional structures, is of foundational importance for advancing innovation in plasmonics, nanophotonics, and biomedical applications. However, scaling fabrication to industrially relevant levels remains a significant challenge. We demonstrate that triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) offers a unique opportunity to increase fabrication speeds and scalability of micro- and nanoscale 3D structures. Due to its nonlinearity and low power requirements, TTA-UC enables localized polymerization with nanoscale resolutions while simultaneously printing millions of voxels per second through optical parallelization using off-the-shelf light-emitting diodes and digital micromirror devices. Our system design and component integration empower fabrication with a minimum lateral feature size down to 230 nm and speeds up to 112 million voxels per second at a power of 7.0 nW per voxel. This combination of high resolution and fast print speed demonstrates that TTA-UC is a significant advancement in nanofabrication technique, evidenced by the fabrication of hydrophobic nanostructures on a square-centimeter scale, paving the way for industrial nanomanufacturing.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

All-passive upconversion of incoherent near-infrared light at intensities down to 10$^{-7}$ W/cm$^2$

Frequency upconversion, which converts low-energy photons into higher-energy ones, typically requires intense coherent illumination to drive nonlinear processes or the use of externally driven optoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate an upconversion system that converts low-intensity (down to ~10-7 W/cm$^2$) incoherent near-infrared (NIR) light into the visible, reaching intensities perceptible by the human eye, without the use of any external power input. Our upconverting element is enabled by the following ingredients: (1) photon upconversion via triplet-triplet annihilation in a bulk heterojunction of the organic semiconductors Y6 and rubrene; (2) plasmonic enhancement of absorption and field intensity in the heterojunction layer; (3) collection enhancement using a dichroic thin-film assembly. To enable high-resolution imaging, the upconverting element is inserted at an intermediate image plane of a dual-wavelength telescope system, which preserves the relative directionality of rays between the incident NIR light and output visible light. Our all-passive upconversion imaging system will enable NIR imaging and sensing in low-light environments under energy constraints.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Compact optical polarization-insensitive zoom metalens-doublet

Metasurface-based lenses (metalenses) offer specific conceptual advantages compared to ordinary refractive lenses. For example, it is possible to tune the focal length of a metalens doublet by varying the relative angle between the two metalenses while fixing their distance, leading to an extremely compact zoom lens. An improved polarization-insensitive design based on silicon-nanocylinders on silica substrates is presented. This design is realized and characterized experimentally at 1550 nm wavelength. By varying the relative angle between the metalenses in steps of 10 degrees, tuning of the doublet focal length is demonstrated from -54 mm to -+3 mm to +54 mm. This results in a zoom factor of an imaging system varying between 1 and 18. For positive focal lengths, the doublet focusing efficiency has a minimum of 34% and a maximum of 83%. Experiment and theory are in very good agreement.

physics.optics↗