APPLICATION P - Ink and Elast - Ink from lab to market

Where it all began Since the announcement a decade ago by Sajeev John1 in the Physics Department at the University of Toronto that ‘silicon inverse opal’ could theoretically display a complete photonic bandgap at optical telecoms wavelengths, followed soon after by the first self-assembly synthesis of silicon inverse opal, and confirmation, by our research group2, of John’s predictions, many scientists have imagined the future of this fascinating new class of materials as ‘semiconductors for light’. The large-scale synthesis of Si inverse opal inspired dreams of a world where ‘semiconductors for electrons’ enabled by electronic bandgaps might be challenged, and ‘semiconductors of light’ would enable impressive feats in optical telecoms and computing3–6. In the years that followed, the initial burst of enthusiasm about ‘self-assembling optical chips’ has been considerably dampened, since most of the promises of opal-based photonic bandgap materials were contingent on the creation of opals with an absolutely perfect structure. This extremely high degree of structural perfection is A notable trend these days amongst academics is the increasing tendency to transfer the fruits of their research to the marketplace through a large number of spin-off companies, all racing to develop, manufacture, and commercialize products. In this article we present a personal account of some of our recent research in the area of photonic crystals that over the course of the last five years has evolved from a laboratory curiosity to a commercializable technology. Two of these nanotechnology platforms, termed P-Ink and Elast-Ink, are both founded on active color tuning of opals, a capability that provides electrical and mechanical access to materials with any visible color, as well as invisible near-infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. These actively tuned opals show considerable promise for new-generation full-color displays, surface coatings, biometric security and authentification devices.