Color isn鈥檛 just about looks 鈥� it plays a vital role in how we communicate, protect ourselves and interact with the world. Debashis Chanda, a researcher and professor at 麻豆原创鈥檚 , has developed a new material that can change color dynamically in response to external stimuli like temperature, which creates a new possibilities for materials and devices to respond, adapt and be reconfigured in real time.

Most colors in commercial and industrial products come from pigments, which absorb, reflect light and fades over time. However, structural colors, which are found in animals like octopuses, use nanoscale structures to control how light reflects. Inspired by this efficient approach, Chanda has been researching how to create more vibrant, angle-independent colors without relying on chemical pigments for years.

His latest development addresses the challenges with dynamically tunable color, complex designs and manufacturing challenges of structural colors, which may make it easier to commercially manufacture these materials. The concept holds immense promise for applications in thermal sensing, advanced textile engineering, camouflage and reconfigurable displays.

The research was recently published in , an esteemed scholarly journal by the National Academy of Sciences. It also includes contributions from researchers Aritra Biswas 鈥�21MS 鈥�24PhD, Pablo Cencillo-Abad, Souptik Mukherjee, Jay Patel 鈥�25听补苍诲 Mahdi Soudi 鈥�25.

How it Works

Chanda鈥檚 approach uses phase modulation of a multilayer stack composed of a phase-changing material and a high-index material on a reflective surface. When the temperature shifts, the way light moves through the material changes, causing the surface color to change as well.

The technology combines several novel features:

• Large area fabrication without complex lithography, which is an expensive patterning method
• Reversible color change
• Precise control over dynamically customizable color
• Broad dynamic range that spans a large portion of visible color space

Earlier methods of developing structural color often relied on expensive electrochromic materials, mechanical actuation or photonic crystals, all of which are hindered by limited tunability, complex fabrication steps, lithographic patterning requirements and angular sensitivity. Achieving dynamic color switching in the visible range remains a significant challenge.

鈥淭he reliance on angle-dependent resonances or patterned nanostructures limits practical integration and scalability,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淥vercoming these barriers is critical for advancing tunable structural color platforms toward real-world applications in flexible electronics, displays and wearable systems.鈥�

This new method can be used for creating large textiles, complex surfaces, and temperature-sensitive consumer product labeling.

Mimicking Nature for Dynamic Colors

The design draws inspiration from animals like octopuses, which change color by rearranging tiny structures in their skin rather than producing new pigments.

Chanda鈥檚 team created a layered design that can change color without being affected by viewing angle or direction of the incident light. It uses a very thin layer of VO鈧�, a material that changes phase from semiconductor to metal with temperature, placed on top of a thick aluminum layer to form a resonating cavity to trap and reflect light in a controlled way.

Pigment colorants control light absorption through a material鈥檚 electronic properties, which means each color needs a new molecule and isn鈥檛 affected by the surrounding environment. Structural colorants, like those found in octopuses, work differently: they control the way light is reflected, scattered or absorbed based on the geometrical arrangement of nanostructures, making them sensitive to changes in their surroundings.

鈥淗arnessing the reversible phase transition, the platform offers precise control over dynamically tunable color, opening avenues for applications in temperature sensing, displays, tunable colored fabrics and many other consumer products,鈥� Chanda says.

The bilayer structure is made using magnetron sputtering to deposit the phase-change material, a process that uses plasma to deposit thin film. It also uses electron-beam deposition to deposit the metal layer, which melts material with a focused electron beam to create precise coatings. This combination allows the structure to be applied to flexible substrates, making it suitable for large-scale production and wearable applications.

Looking Ahead

Chanda says the next steps of the project include further exploration of color space and roll-to-roll fabrication to improve its viability as a commercial and defense-related platform.

鈥淭his platform holds promise for a robust, scalable and dynamically tunable coloration platform with broad applicability, while demonstrating a proof-of-concept product that highlights its commercial and defense-related application potentials,鈥� Chanda says.

Licensing Opportunity

For more information about licensing this technology, visit .

Researcher Credentials

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, the Department of Physics, and the College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctoral degree in photonics from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

This material is based upon work supported by the NSF Grant no. ECCS-1920840 and NGA Grant no. HM0476-20-1-0010. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF/NGA.

Early diagnosis of infectious disease is key to slowing outbreaks and improving treatment outcomes. However, current diagnostic techniques are time-consuming, require specialized equipment and are dependent on trained personnel, which hinders accessibility in resource-limited areas.

A Low-Cost, Smartphone-Enabled Diagnostic Platform

麻豆原创 researcher Debashis Chanda, a professor at 麻豆原创鈥檚 , has developed a self-assembled colorimetric biosensor that can be read using a regular smartphone. The cost-effective platform delivers sensitive and robust detection without needing any sophisticated equipment. The research was recently published and featured as a cover article in Nano Letters, an esteemed scholarly journal published by the American Chemical Society.

Additional researchers on this study include Mahdi Soudi 鈥� a physics doctoral student and the lead author of the publication 鈥� as well as Caitlin Beech, Pablo Cencillo-Abad, Ishani Chanda, A虂ngel David Torres Palencia, Amir Ghazizadeh, Pamela Mastranzo-Ortega, Freya Mehta, Javier Sanchez-Mondrag贸n and Abraham V谩zquez-Guardado.

The technology combines several novel features:

• Wafer-level fabrication without complex lithography
• Label-free assay format
• Smartphone-enabled readout for portable and low-cost analysis
• Broad dynamic range that spans physiologically relevant IgG concentrations with high reproducibility

Together, these attributes distinguish this approach from earlier colorimetric sensors and showcase its strong potential for real-world applications.

鈥淭he sensor works well because of its simple design: a layer of aluminum nanoparticles on a thin optical cavity. This setup makes it very sensitive to small molecular interactions. The sensor uses structural color 鈥� like the vivid colors seen in some species 鈥� created by the arrangement of two colorless materials. The color can change based on shifts in the local refractive index caused by molecular binding, which alters the resonance and the color seen on the surface. These color changes can be measured using a smartphone,鈥� Chanda says.

Inspired by Vivid Colors

Based on such bio-inspirations, Chanda鈥檚 research group innovated a colorimetric sensor, which utilizes the nanoscale structural arrangement of colorless materials to create colors and corresponding changes in colors to sense molecules.

While pigment colorants control light absorption based on the material鈥檚 electronic properties 鈥� meaning every color needs a new molecule and isn鈥檛 sensitive to the surrounding environment 鈥� structural colorants control the way light is reflected, scattered or absorbed based purely on the geometrical arrangement of nanostructures and are sensitive to change of medium.

Such structural color-based sensors are environmentally friendly, relying only on metals and oxides, unlike other sensors that use artificially synthesized colorants made from complex, toxic molecules.

Designed for Real-World Use

To demonstrate its translational potential, the research team also developed a smartphone application that processes user-captured sensor images and estimates analyte concentration, eliminating the need for bulky optics, spectrometers or trained personnel. This biosensing strategy paves the way for low-cost, rapid, user-friendly diagnostics, empowering individuals to combat infectious diseases and outbreaks more effectively.

鈥淭his work introduces a novel platform that addresses the limitations of conventional diagnostic techniques such as complexity, the need for specialized equipment and lack of accessibility,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淗ere, we鈥檙e not limited by such stringent resource requirements. A smartphone can be used as a diagnostic tool for most point-of-care needs.鈥�

In addition to its diagnostic utility, the platform is highly scalable. More than 20 independent deposition runs supporting over 50 assays showed consistent sensor performance, with yields above 90% and defects mainly due to handling rather than fabrication variability. Because the fabrication relies on thin-film deposition and self-assembly instead of costly lithography, the sensors are inexpensive to produce and compatible with wafer-scale production, making them ideal for disposable point-of-care diagnostics.

Future Research

Chanda says the next steps of the project include further exploration of sensor sensitivity and selectivity aspects to improve its viability as a commercial biochemical sensing platform.

鈥淭his biosensing platform holds promise for addressing unmet needs in precise, rapid antibody detection and represents a significant step toward the development of robust, field-deployable biosensors capable of meeting diagnostic requirements in resource-limited and decentralized healthcare environments,鈥� Chanda says.

Licensing Opportunity

For more information about licensing this technology, visit .

Researcher Credentials

Chanda holds joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, the Department of Physics and the College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctoral degree in photonics from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

The research was recently published in Nano Letters, an esteemed scholarly journal published by the American Chemical Society.

The findings are the result of a $1.5 million project funded through the Extreme Photon Imaging Capabilities program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that was awarded nearly two years ago.

The new detection and imaging technique will have applications in analyzing materials by their spectral properties, or spectroscopic imaging, as well as thermal imaging applications.

Humans perceive primary and secondary colors but not infrared light. Scientists hypothesize that animals like snakes or nocturnal species can detect various wavelengths in the infrared almost like how humans perceive colors.

Infrared, specifically LWIR, detection at room temperature has been a long-standing challenge due to the weak photon energy, Chanda says.

LWIR detectors can be broadly classified into either cooled or uncooled detectors, the researcher says.

Cooled detectors excel in high detectivity and fast response times but their reliance on cryogenic cooling significantly escalates their cost and restricts their practical applications.

In contrast, uncooled detectors, like microbolometers, can function at room temperature and come at a relatively lower cost but exhibit lower sensitivity and slower response times, Chanda says.

Both kinds of LWIR detectors lack the dynamic spectral tunability, and so they can鈥檛 distinguish photon wavelengths of different 鈥渃olors.鈥�

Chanda and his team of postdoctoral scholars sought to expand beyond the limitations of existing LWIR detectors, so they worked to demonstrate a highly sensitive, efficient and dynamically tunable method based on a nanopatterned graphene.

Tianyi Guo听鈥�23笔丑顿 is the lead author of the research. Guo completed his doctoral degree at 麻豆原创 in 2023 under Chanda鈥檚 mentorship. He is the recipient of an international thesis award from Springer Nature and his thesis exploring potential LWIR detection methods was published in the high-impact听Springer Theses听book series.

This newly discovered method is the culmination of the research that Guo, Chanda and others in Chanda鈥檚 lab have performed, Chanda says.

鈥淣o present cooled or uncooled detectors offer such dynamic spectral tunability and ultrafast response,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭his demonstration underscores the potential of engineered monolayer graphene LWIR detectors operating at room temperature, offering high sensitivity as well as dynamic spectral tunability for spectroscopic imaging.鈥�

The detector relies on a temperature difference in materials (known as the Seebeck effect) within an asymmetrically patterned graphene film. Upon light illumination and interaction, the patterned half generates hot carriers with greatly enhanced absorption while the unpatterned half remains cool. The diffusion of the hot carriers creates a photo-thermoelectric voltage and is measured between the source and drain electrodes.

By patterning the graphene into a specialized array, the researchers achieved an enhanced absorption and can further electrostatically tune within the LWIR spectra range and provide better infrared detection. The detector significantly surpasses the capabilities of the conventional uncooled infrared detectors 鈥� also known as microbolometers.

鈥淭he proposed detection platform paves the path for a new generation of uncooled graphene-based LWIR photodetectors for wide ranging applications such as consumer electronics, molecular sensing and space to name a few,鈥� Chanda says.

Researchers from Chanda鈥檚 group include postdoctoral scholars Aritra Biswas 鈥�21MS 鈥�24PhD, Sayan Chandra, Arindam Dasgupta, and Muhammad Waqas听Shabbir 鈥�16MS 鈥�21PhD.

Licensing Opportunity

The technology is patented. For more information about licensing this technology, please visit the .

Researchers鈥� Credentials:

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

Guo joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 physics doctoral program in the fall of 2017 and graduated in fall 2023. He received his bachelor鈥檚 of science in 2015 from the University of Science and Technology of China. Guo currently is a postdoctoral researcher in Chanda鈥檚 group at 麻豆原创.

麻豆原创 researchers, led by 麻豆原创听听Professor Debashis Chanda, developed a 鈥渂arcoding鈥� technique to quickly identify chiral molecules based on their unique infrared fingerprints, potentially speeding up pharmaceutical and medical advancements.

The molecules can be identified using a special pixelated 2D sensor array that interacts with precise light with the specific properties of the molecules to capture their unique vibrational absorptions, which are then mapped as a barcode.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and was recently published in Advanced Materials.

Chiral molecules are pairs that are similar in structure but are twisted differently (left or right), like how a person鈥檚 left and right hands are mirror images of each other. Understanding the nature of chiral molecules is crucial to biological and pharmaceutical research because the mirror image pairs听鈥�听known as enantiomers听鈥�听can each have different effects in the body or in chemical reactions.

Nearly 56% of all modern drugs and medicine are chiral in nature, and about 90% of those are a mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers of a chiral compound. Researchers often face the challenge of separating enantiomers or synthesizing only the desired enantiomer to ensure optimal therapeutic outcomes and minimize adverse effects.

Most modern medicines and drugs are chiral and are marketed as racemates (equal mixtures of enantiomers), which in some cases can have unwanted consequences, Chanda says. This highlights the need for techniques that can identify such molecules reliably and accurately.

鈥淥n molecular adsorption, the combined system鈥檚 response depends on the degree and positional overlap of the molecule鈥檚 absorbance and sensor resonance,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭he measured signal is analyzed and encoded to generate a 鈥榗hiral barcode鈥� for uniquely identifying the adsorbed chiral molecule. We show applicability of the platform by analyzing and generating unique chirality-based barcodes for an enantiomeric pair of small molecules, as well as a pair of spectrally similar larger chiral biomolecules based on very low volumes of analytes at ultra-low concentrations.鈥�

The sensing platform is made of specially engineered nanopatterned gold where the interactions between the plasmonic and photonic cavity modes produce strong chiral 鈥渟uperchiral鈥� light, he says.

By changing the geometrical parameters, 25 of such spectrally de-tuned sensors in 5×5 array was produced. When a molecule is added to this array, each sensing element produces slightly different chiral response, resulting in a unique barcode.

鈥淯nlike other existing platforms that require chiral nanostructures of varying asymmetries that can be difficult to replicate, our proposed system鈥檚 inherent achirality overcomes this problem, greatly simplifying the fabrication process,鈥� says Aritra Biswas 鈥�12MS 鈥�24PhD, postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the paper. 鈥淎dditionally, the sensors are fabricated by simple nanoimprint lithography and two deposition steps, therefore making them very robust. We envision that such a versatile, low footprint, mass manufacturable platform would be a crucial tool for drug and biomolecular identification with applications in medical research and pharmaceutical industries.鈥�

鈥淲e aim to contribute towards the development of inexpensive and sensitive chiral drug identification methods for chemical, biological and medical research, the fabrication of novel devices exhibiting superior light-matter interaction and the demonstration of a real product with commercial viability,鈥� Chanda says.

Postdoctoral fellow Pablo Cencillo-Abad also contributed to the research and is listed as a study co-author.

Those interested in licensing this technology may .

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials:

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and . He received his doctoral degree in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

麻豆原创 researchers, led by 麻豆原创 NanoScience Technology Center Professor Debashis Chanda, have developed an integrated optical sensor capable of detecting dopamine directly from an unprocessed blood sample. This sensor may serve as a low-cost and efficient screening tool for various neurological conditions and cancers, ultimately providing better outcomes for patients.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and was published this week in Science Advances.

鈥淭his plasmonic biosensor is extremely sensitive to low concentrations of biomolecules, which make them promising platform for specialized assays, point of care applications in remote locations,鈥� says Chanda, the study鈥檚 principal investigator who also has appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Physics and CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics. 鈥淚n this work, we demonstrated an all-optical, surface-functionalized plasmonic biosensing platform for the detection of low concentrations of neurotransmitter dopamine directly from diverse biological samples, which include protein solutions, artificial cerebrospinal fluid, and unprocessed whole blood.鈥�

Neurotransmitters play a vital role in regulating neural function and overall well-being in humans and animals, necessitating a harmonious balance of neurological hormones for optimal bodily function, Chanda says. Dopamine serves as a crucial transmitter, as it exerts significant influence over cognitive processes such as motor function or emotions like happiness or pleasure.

Disruptions in dopamine levels are closely linked with various neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson鈥檚 disease and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, neurodevelopmental conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette鈥檚 Syndrome, and psychological disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Chanda says.

Deviations from normal dopamine levels can also serve as an important diagnostic marker for certain types of cancers. The precise and dependable measurement of dopamine concentrations is of utmost importance for advancing pharmaceutical research and medical therapies, Chanda says.

How It Works

The plasmonic sensor is made of a tiny gold pattern that causes electrons to move together in waves. These waves, called plasmons, become stronger with a special optical setup. When a new molecule enters the sensor鈥檚 environment, it changes how the electrons move, which affects how light is reflected from the sensor. This change in reflection helps detect the presence of the molecule.

Unlike traditional biosensors that rely on biological elements like antibodies or enzymes, this 麻豆原创-developed device uses a specially designed aptamer鈥攁 synthetic DNA strand鈥攖o precisely detect dopamine. This approach not only makes the sensor more cost-effective and easier to store, but it also allows the device to detect dopamine directly from unprocessed blood without any preparation. This breakthrough could be particularly valuable in areas with limited medical resources, as it simplifies the detection process and opens the door for diagnosing other conditions using the same technology.

Researchers were able to target specific molecules by coating the sensor鈥檚 active area with an aptamer specifically created to latch onto a particular biomarker with great accuracy.

The study鈥檚 results highlight the potential of plasmonic 鈥渁ptasensors鈥� using aptamers to sense for developing rapid and accurate diagnostic tools for disease monitoring, medical diagnostics, and targeted therapies, the researchers say.

鈥淭here have been numerous demonstrations of plasmonic biosensors but all of them fall short in detecting the relevant biomarker directly from unprocessed biological fluids, such as blood,鈥� says Aritra Biswas 鈥�12MS 24PhD, the lead author of the paper.

The new research builds upon the team鈥檚 previous work developing a dopamine detector by replacing cerium oxide nanoparticles with DNA-based aptamers, enhancing the sensor’s selectivity and expanding its applicability to detect dopamine directly in diverse biological samples without needing prior sample preparation.

鈥淭his concept can be further explored in the detection of different biomolecules directly from unprocessed blood, such as proteins, viruses, DNA,鈥� says Chanda. 鈥淭here may be great interest in developing countries where access to analytical laboratories is limited.鈥�

The research was performed by students in Chanda鈥檚 lab at 麻豆原创 and are co-authors of the study: Sang Lee 鈥�22惭厂, postdoctoral fellows Pablo Cencillo-Abad and Manobina Karmakar, biomedical sciences undergraduate students Jay Patel and Francisco Hernandez Guitierrez and physics doctoral student Mahdi Soudi.

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials:

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in fall 2012.

His thesis, Low Energy Photon Detection, was nominated after his final semester in fall 2023 at 麻豆原创 by his supervisor, Professor Debashis Chanda. Guo and Chanda were notified in April of Guo鈥檚 successful selection amongst many international submissions, and Guo received a cash prize in addition to being published.

Springer Nature听is a global publishing company that publishes books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technology and medicine.

The series, Springer Theses, brings together a selection of the very best Ph.D. theses from around the world and across sciences. Nominated and endorsed by two recognized specialists, each published volume has been selected for its scientific excellence and the high impact of its contents for the pertinent field of research.

The publication and award began in 2010, and Springer records dating back to 2012 show that this is the first time a 麻豆原创 student has received this honor.

According to Springer, 麻豆原创鈥檚 and CREOL, , are among the leading physics departments that meet the criteria to qualify for nominating theses on a yearly basis.

鈥淭hrough my research, I developed expertise in nanofabrication, lasers, and opto-electronic devices,鈥� Guo says. 鈥淭hese skills were instrumental in allowing me to create innovative approaches in LWIR camera technology.鈥�

Guo鈥檚 thesis focuses on long wave infrared (LWIR) photon detection at room temperature, with applications in space exploration, night vision, medical uses, public safety and other thermal imaging applications.

The pursuit of an affordable, high-performance LWIR camera capable of room temperature detection has spanned several decades, Chanda says.

LWIR detectors can be broadly classified into either cooled or uncooled detectors, he says. Cooled detectors excel in high detectivity and fast response times but their reliance on cryogenic cooling significantly escalates their cost and restricts their practical applications. In contrast, uncooled detectors, like microbolometers, can function at room temperature and come at a relatively lower cost but exhibit lower sensitivity and slower response times, Chanda says.

Guo鈥檚 research spawned multiple breakthroughs in dynamically tunable light detection, one-atom-thick graphene-based infrared camera technology and a new photon detection technique, Chanda says.

鈥淲ithin the scope of Dr. Tianyi Guo鈥檚 work, he showcased two innovative approaches aimed at advancing the next generation of LWIR detectors and cameras,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭hese approaches are designed to offer high detectivity, fast response times, and room temperature operation.鈥�

The first approach involves harnessing high-mobility electrons on nanostructured graphene to create a photo-thermoelectric detector. The second approach details the use of an oscillating circuit integrated with phase change materials and the modulation of frequency induced by infrared illumination to achieve LWIR detection.

Finally, Guo integrated the graphene-based detectors to serve as a readout of integrated circuits enabling the development of a dense pixel focal plane array based infrared camera. This is in collaboration with world鈥檚 largest infrared camera company, Teledyne-FLIR.

Chanda says he is particularly impressed by Guo鈥檚 thesis and how it advances the field of LWIR cameras and photon detection.

鈥淭o take such a novel material from device to actual functional camera development as part of a single Ph.D. is not just unique but unheard off,鈥� Chanda says.

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials

Guo joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 physics doctoral program in the fall of 2017 and graduated in fall 2023. He received his bachelors of science in 2015 from the University of Science and Technology of China. Guo currently is a postdoctoral researcher at 麻豆原创.

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in fall 2012.

The new technology, a plasmonic platform that significantly improves the detection of the chirality of molecules, was developed by 麻豆原创 Professor Debashis Chanda. The work is detailed in a new study published in Science Advances.

Chiral molecules are like pairs of molecules that are similar in structure but are twisted differently (left or right), similar to how a person鈥檚 left and right hands are mirror images of each other.

Understanding the nature of chiral molecules is central to biological and pharmaceutical research because the mirror image pairs 鈥� known as enantiomers 鈥� can each have different effects in the body or in chemical reactions.

Nearly 56% of all modern drugs and medicine are chiral in nature and about 90% of those are a mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers of a chiral compound.

Researchers often face the challenge of separating enantiomers or synthesizing only the desired enantiomer to ensure optimal therapeutic outcomes and minimize adverse effects.

Chanda says accuracy in determining the purity of a sample of chiral molecules is paramount.

鈥淚n some cases, one enantiomer is the active ingredient while the other is dormant, leading to an overall reduction in the potency of the drug,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s a result, the need for enantiomeric identification and purification is in crucial demand in the field of medical and pharmaceutical research.鈥�

He says his platform鈥檚 simplicity, tunability and sensitivity could be a game changer.

鈥淪uch a system has great potential in pharmaceutical and drug industries where high-sensitive, high-throughput and low-cost enantiomeric purity determination is critically important,鈥� he says.

How the Technology Works

The sensor is composed of a symmetric achiral (nonmirrored) nanoscale gold hole-disk pattern on top of an optical cavity. When illuminated with a rotating polarized light, it produces a densely chiral light with a strong, concentrated swirling motion, called superchiral light, on top of the sensor surface. This occurs due to the strong, nanoscale coupling created between the electron (plasmon) resonances on the gold pattern and the resonances in the optical cavity.

When a chiral molecule is added on top of the sensor, it produces differential reflection between a right circularly polarized light and a left circularly polarized light, which enables the detection ability. Unlike other similar sensors that add their own 鈥渢wist鈥� to the light, the symmetric achiral nature of the 麻豆原创 sensor suppresses chiral response from the sensor itself, which ensures chiral response solely from the target molecule.听 Hence, this novel approach enables precise identification of subtle molecular differences, marking a significant advancement in the field.

Chanda鈥檚 platform can quantify the purity of chiral enantiomers with a sensitivity nearly 13 orders of magnitude greater than the current method and provides cost savings due to the nanoimprinting based low-cost sensor fabrication, significantly lower concentrations and fewer molecules needed for accurate detection.

Next Steps

Chanda hopes to see his platform and research applied in a way that increases the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent research and development.

鈥淲e aim to contribute towards the development of inexpensive and fast drug identification methods for photonics and pharmaceutical research, fabrication of novel devices exhibiting superior light-matter interaction and demonstrate a real and reliable product that is commercially viable,鈥� Chanda says.

In addition to Chanda, the study鈥檚 research team included Aritra Biswas with 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center and the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL); and Pablo Cencillo-Abad, Muhammed Shabbir, and Manobina Karmakar with 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center.

For more information on the technology, including licensing opportunities, please visit the .

The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center,听Department of Physics听补苍诲听CREOL. He also leads the university鈥檚 . He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

Study Title: Tunable plasmonic superchiral light for ultrasensitive detection of chiral molecules

The worldwide rankings, , place 麻豆原创 in a tie with Yale University (57) and ahead of U.S. institutions such as Vanderbilt (56), Princeton (44) and Florida State University (38).

The NAI rankings may be further adjusted as patent corrections are submitted by universities.

This is the 11^th year that 麻豆原创 has ranked in the top 100 universities in the world for patents.

鈥淚nnovation is at the heart of our mission at 麻豆原创, and these latest patent rankings reaffirm our commitment to pushing boundaries and making impactful advancements,” says Winston V. Schoenfeld, 麻豆原创鈥檚 interim vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淭he range of inventions reflects the dedication and ingenuity of our researchers across the research enterprise, and their efforts continue to position 麻豆原创 as a leader in innovation, both nationally and globally.”

The patents were secured by 麻豆原创鈥檚听, which brings discoveries to the marketplace and connects 麻豆原创 researchers with companies and entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into successful products.

Svetlana Shtrom听鈥�08MBA, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Technology Transfer Office, says university patents are a valuable asset for universities, industry and society.

鈥淧atents facilitate transfer of technology from universities and foster collaboration between academia and the private sector,鈥� Shtrom says.听鈥淭hrough collaboration with industry, university technologies provide solutions to pressing problems and create new products and services that benefit the public.鈥�

She says the patents also reflect the commitment of the university鈥檚 researchers to innovation, and they serve as a beacon to attract more students and faculty who are interested in cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship.

Here are a few of the 麻豆原创 inventions that led to patents in 2023:

Passive Insect Surveillance Sensor Device
Lead researcher: Bradley Willenberg, assistant professor, 麻豆原创

麻豆原创 researchers have developed a low-cost, easy-to-use device for detection of mosquitos and other insects that also indicates whether an insect carries a specific infectious disease. Through simple color-based tests (colorimetric assays) and biomolecular tools for detection (DNA aptamers conjugated to nanoparticles), a user can monitor viral presence in insect saliva samples. By doing so, various mosquito-borne emerging pathogens, including Zika, Dengue, and Chikunguya, can be detected.听 The easily deployable technology can potentially help in the global fight and prevention against these deadly diseases. The .

Antiplasmodial Compounds
Lead researcher: Debopam Chakrabarti, professor and head,

This technology is a method of treatment for malaria by administration of specific fungus-derived compounds. Annually, malaria affects more than 200 million people and kills more than 600,000. Caused by Plasmodium parasites carried in mosquitos, an effective treatment is desperately needed. 麻豆原创 researchers used a听 library of fungi found in habitats and ecological niches across the U.S. to find potential antimalarial compounds. The unique chemicals they identified provide starting points for developing lead compounds of new drugs against malaria. The research team is .

Coating for Capturing and Killing Viruses on Surfaces
Lead researcher: Suditpa Seal, Pegasus Professor and chair,

This technology is a nano-coating designed to capture, hold and kill viruses on a surface, such as on personal protective equipment and clothing, using natural light sources to protect against infections.

The COVID-killing coating is made with a nanomaterial that activates under white light, such as sunlight or LED light. As long as the nanomaterial is exposed to a continuous light source, it can regenerate its antiviral properties, creating a self-cleaning effect.

The efficacy of the disinfectant was shown through a study that was published in听ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces听this past year. The study found that the coating can not only destroy the COVID-19 virus, but it can also听combat the spread of Zika virus, SARS, parainfluenza, rhinovirus and vesicular stomatitis.

Production of Nanoporous Films
Lead researcher: Yang Yang, associate professor,

麻豆原创 researchers have created , such as for fuel cells, hydrogen production, photocatalysts, sensing and energy storage, and electrodes in supercapacitors. The method improves performance and versatility and does not require use of costly precious metals, such as gold. Instead, the 麻豆原创 technology uses low-cost, earth-abundant resources such as iron, cobalt and nickel. The nanoporous thin films are designed to help meet today鈥檚 challenges in renewable energy production and conversion applications.

Method of Forming High-Throughput 3d Printed Microelectrode Array
Lead researcher: Swaminathan Rajaraman, associate professor, NanoScience Technology Center

This invention is a . The device has small channels and chambers that guide liquids, like samples or chemicals, to a central area where there are special electrodes. These electrodes can send and record electrical signals from tiny groups of cells called spheroids. Scientists can use this to see how cells react to different conditions and substances. The innovation offers an easy way to study biological cells, tissues and electrophysiological responses. The technology can help lead to advancements in disease modeling, toxicity assessments and drug discovery.

Adaptive Visual Overlay for Anatomical Simulation
Lead researcher: Greg Welch, Pegasus Professor, AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation,

This anatomical simulation allows users to wear a head-mounted display that presents an anatomical scenario onto a patient to allow for medical training, surgical training or other instruction. Users who experience the simulation will see a real body part or other anatomical items projected through an augmented reality system. The innovative, and provides constant, dynamic feedback to medical trainees as they treat wounds. Almost like a video game in real-life, the Tactile-Visual Wound Simulation Unit portrays the look, feel, and even the smell of different types of human wounds (such as a puncture, stab, slice or tear). It also tracks and analyzes a trainee’s treatment responses and provides corrective instructions.

System for Extracting Water from Lunar Regolith and Associated Method
Lead researcher: Phil Metzger 鈥�00MS鈥�05PhD, associate scientist,

This invention is and help to establish the industry. The process consists of robot mining of the regolith (loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock), transferring the mined material to a conveyer, and passing the soil through grinding and crushing stages. Included are mechanisms to sort the material into ice, metals, and other minerals, and final transport and cleanup. This technology allows mining water on the moon, which supports NASA missions, enables further commercial operations in space, and supports Space Force activities.

Inorganic Paint Pigment with Plasmonic Aluminum Reflector Layers and Related Methods
Lead researcher: Debashis Chanda, professor, NanoScience Technology Center

This invention, a plasmonic paint, draws inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally friendly, large-scale and multicolor alternative to pigment-based colorants, which can contribute to energy-saving efforts and help reduce impacts on climate.

The plasmonic paint uses nanoscale structural arrangement of colorless materials 鈥� aluminum and aluminum oxide 鈥� instead of pigments to create colors.

While pigment colorants control light absorption based on the electronic property of the pigment material, hence every color needs a new molecule, structural colorants control the way light is reflected, scattered or absorbed based on the geometrical arrangement of nanostructures.

Such structural colors are environmentally friendly as they only use metals and oxides, unlike pigment-based colors that use artificially synthesized molecules.

The researchers have combined their structural color flakes with a commercial binder to form long-lasting paints of all colors. And because plasmonic paint reflects the entire infrared spectrum, less heat is absorbed by the paint, resulting in the underneath surface staying 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than it would if it were covered with standard commercial paint.

Plasmonic paint is also lightweight, a result of the paint’s large area-to-thickness ratio, with full coloration achieved at a paint thickness of only 150 nanometers, making it the lightest paint in the world.

System and Method for Radio Frequency Power Sensing and Scavenging Based on Phonon-electron Coupling in Acoustic Waveguides
Lead researcher: Hakhamanesh Mansoorzare 鈥�21, postdoctoral researcher,

To meet the growing energy needs of the internet of things (IoT) and wireless communication systems, this new technology is .

The invention harvests ambient energy, specifically radio frequency electromagnetic waves, the most abundant form of communication among IoT nodes and hubs.

The technology can reduce the electronic industry鈥檚 reliance on batteries and broaden the expansion of the IoT and its energy needs.

The advancement could lead to more precise and efficient technologies in various fields, from improving medical imaging and communication systems to enhancing scientific research and even potentially bolstering security measures.

Photon detection has typically relied on change/modulation of voltage or current amplitude. But Chanda has developed a way to detect photons by modulating the frequency of an oscillating circuit, paving the path for ultra-sensitive photon detection.

Chanda鈥檚 method uses a special, phase-change material (PCM) that changes its form when light touches it, making an electrical rhythm that stays steady, or a stable electrical circuit oscillation. When a photon hits the material, it changes how fast the rhythm goes, or shifts the oscillation frequency. How much the rhythm changes depends on how strong the light is, similar to how a person鈥檚 voice changes the sound on the radio.

The new development was published recently in Advanced Functional Materials.

Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) detection in the 8 to 12 micrometer wavelength range is extremely important in astronomy, materials analysis and security. However, LWIR detection at room temperature has been a long-standing challenge due to the low energy of photons.

LWIR detectors that are currently available can be broadly categorized into two types: cooled and uncooled detectors, with both having their own limitations.

While cooled detectors offer excellent detectivity, they require cryogenic cooling 鈥� making them expensive and limiting their practical utility. On the other hand, uncooled detectors can operate at room temperature but suffer from low detectivity and slow response due to the higher thermal noise intrinsic to room temperature operation. A low-cost, highly sensitive, fast infrared detector/camera continues to confront scientific and technological challenges.

This is the main reason LWIR cameras are not widely used except in Department of Defense and space-specific applications.

鈥淯nlike all present photon detection schemes where light power changes the amplitude of voltage or current (amplitude modulation 鈥� AM), in the proposed scheme, hits, or incidents of photons, modulate the frequency of an oscillating circuit and are detected as a frequency shift, offering inherent robustness to noises, which are AM in nature,鈥� Chanda says.

鈥淥ur FM-based approach yields an outstanding room temperature noise equivalent power, response time and detectivity,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淭his general FM-based photon detection concept can be implemented in any spectral range based on other phase-change materials.鈥�

鈥淥ur results introduce this novel FM-based detector as a unique platform for creating low-cost, high-efficiency uncooled infrared detectors and imaging systems for various applications such as remote sensing, thermal imaging and medical diagnostics,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淲e strongly believe that the performance can be further enhanced with proper industry-scale packaging.鈥�

This concept developed by the Chanda group provides a paradigm shift to high sensitive, uncooled LWIR detection as noise limits detection sensitivity. This result promises a novel uncooled LWIR detection scheme that is high sensitive, low cost, and can be easily integrated with electronic readout circuitry, without the need for complex hybridization.

The fundamental research is funded under a U.S. National Science Foundation grant #ECCS-2015722. The camera technology is under development with funding from Chanda鈥檚 Samsung Global Research Outreach Award 2022.

Licensing Opportunity?
The technology is patented. .

Researcher鈥檚 Credentials
Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, and CREOL, . He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined 麻豆原创 in Fall 2012.

The ability to enhance night vision capabilities could have implications in improving what can be seen in space, in chemical and biological disaster areas, and on the battlefield.

A study detailing the 麻豆原创 researchers鈥� night-vision work appeared recently in the journal .

鈥淲ith the infrared detector we鈥檝e developed, you can extract more information from the object you鈥檙e looking at in the dark,鈥� said Debashis Chanda, an associate professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 and the study鈥檚 principal investigator.

鈥淪ay, you鈥檙e looking at somebody at night through night-vision goggles. You鈥檙e looking at his infrared signature, which is coming all over his body. He may have a hidden weapon that emits a different wavelength of infrared light, but you cannot see that even with a presently available, expensive, cryogenically cooled camera.鈥�

The infrared detector developed by Chanda and his team, however, doesn鈥檛 need liquid nitrogen cooling it down to an extreme -321 degrees to be sensitive enough to detect different wavelengths of infrared light. It also operates much faster than existing night-vision cameras that don鈥檛 require cooling, but are slow to process images.

Humans see light in the electromagnetic spectrum that has wavelengths that are from about 400 to 700 nanometers long, which is known as the visible light spectrum.

In this research, Chanda and his team were working with much longer wavelengths that extend to about 16,000 nanometers.

That allows the 麻豆原创 detector to discern the different wavelengths in the invisible infrared domain. It does this by picking out different objects emitting different wavelengths.

Current night-vision cameras can鈥檛 isolate the different objects based on their distinct infrared wavelengths and instead integrate or lump the wavelengths all together so that what may be several separate objects are only seen as one through the infrared lens.

鈥淭his is one of the first demonstrations of actually dynamically tuning of the spectral response of the detector or, in other words, selecting what infrared 鈥榗olor鈥� you want to see,鈥� Chanda said.

With the new technology, additional infrared 鈥渃olors鈥� could be assigned to represent items that reflect different wavelengths of infrared light, in addition to the standard colors of either green, orange or black seen in night vision, Chanda said.

For astronomers, this means the potential to have new telescopes that see information that was previously invisible in the infrared domain. For chemical- and biological-disaster areas, or even monitoring pollution, it means taking a picture to receive a spectral analysis of the gasses present in an area, such as carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, based on how infrared light reacts with chemical molecules.

The trick in developing the new highly sensitive, but uncooled infrared detector was engineering the two-dimensional nanomaterial graphene into a material that can carry an electric current.

The researchers achieved this by designing the material to be asymmetric so that the temperature difference created from absorbed light hitting the different parts of material caused electrons to flow from one side to another, thus creating a voltage.

The process was also verified using a model developed by study co-author Michael N. Leuenberger, a professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center with joint appointments in the Department of Physics and the College of Optics and Photonics.

The detector鈥檚 ability to capture an image was tested one pixel at a time.

The device is not commercially available but could one day be integrated into cameras and telescopes.

The work was supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense鈥檚 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Co-authors of the study also included Alireza Safaei, a graduate of 麻豆原创鈥檚 doctoral program; Sayan Chandra, a postdoctoral researcher in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center; and Muhammad Waqas Shabbir, a doctoral student in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Physics.

Chanda has joint appointments in 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Department of Physics and College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Chanda joined 麻豆原创 in 2012.