journal article·2026-01

Electrically Reconfigurable Liquid Metal Nanophotonic Platform for Color Display and Imaging

Md Abdul Kaium Khan, Shoaib Vasini, Ralu Divan, Peter Q. Liu

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 5
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Dynamically tunable optical materials and device architectures are essential for future photonic technologies, yet conventional solid metals lack the intrinsic tunability required for advanced functionalities. Gallium‐based liquid metals (LMs) present an appealing alternative thanks to their distinctive mechanical and optical properties; however, their practical integration in tunable photonic elements remains largely unexplored. Here, an electrochemically controlled nanophotonic platform is demonstrated that integrates a dynamically reconfigurable LM ground plane with gold nanoantenna arrays within a microfluidic system, enabling precise and reversible modulation of optical resonances across the visible to mid‐infrared spectral ranges. By employing moderate operational voltages (1.5–3.0 V), real‐time tuning of high‐resolution structural color patterns is achieved through nanoscale control of the interfacial gap between the LM and Au nanoantennas. This innovative platform facilitates electrically programmable, high‐contrast color patterns suitable for dynamic optical displays, secure anti‐counterfeiting labels, and imaging applications. Additionally, this platform enables tunable mid‐infrared spectral responses, which may be utilized for chemical and biological sensing applications. This versatile integrated LM‐based nanophotonic platform opens new paths toward multifunctional, actively tunable/reconfigurable photonic device and system technologies.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Advanced Materials and Mechanics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Electrical Engineering University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA

Center for Nanoscale Materials Argonne National Laboratory Lemont IL 60439 USA

Funding

National Cancer Institute · Directorate for Engineering

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