Scientists develop flexible near-infrared devices for wearable sensors

This could revolutionise the design of future optoelectronic devices, flexible sensors, and medical imaging tools that rely on NIR light, by introducing scalable and cost-effective plasmonic materials. Plasmonics is a field that leverages the interaction between light and free electrons in metals to create extremely confined electromagnetic fields. Traditionally, plasmonic materials have been rigid and possess limited design possibilities. Most of them, like gold or silver, tend to be costly and possess limited versatility

New Delhi: Scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed novel flexible near-infrared plasmonic devices for wearable sensors and medical imaging tools.

The team introduced a new approach to achieve flexible near-infrared plasmonic devices using affordable scandium nitride (ScN) films.

“This could revolutionise the design of future optoelectronic devices, flexible sensors, and medical imaging tools that rely on NIR light, by introducing scalable and cost-effective plasmonic materials,” said the researchers in the paper, recently published in the journal Nano Letters.

Plasmonics is a field that leverages the interaction between light and free electrons in metals to create extremely confined electromagnetic fields. Traditionally, plasmonic materials have been rigid and possess limited design possibilities. Most of them, like gold or silver, tend to be costly and possess limited versatility.

The research holds promise for a wide array of industries, from telecommunications to biomedicine, offering a new material foundation for developing next-generation flexible and wearable plasmonic devices.

The team led by Prof. Bivas Saha demonstrated a method to grow flexible plasmonic structures.

They produced ScN layers with exceptional quality and flexibility by pairing scandium nitride with van der Waals layer substrates, materials with weak interlayer interactions. This introduced a new pathway in plasmonic materials research. The study also highlights the potential of scandium nitride as a promising plasmonic material for applications that require both flexibility and precision in near-infrared (NIR) optics.

“Scandium nitride’s stability, combined with its compatibility with van der Waals substrates, makes it an exciting candidate for next-generation flexible electronics,” Saha said.

“Our findings are a step towards realising advanced plasmonic devices that are not only high-performing but also adaptable to unconventional applications,” he added.

Saha’s team demonstrated that ScN is a stable material that not only supports NIR plasmonics but also retains its performance when subjected to bending and flexing, making it a frontrunner for flexible device applications.