A Theory of a Self-Assembling Electrovariable Smart Mirror

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding nanoparticle self-assembly at solid-liquid interfaces, with applications to electrovariable smart mirrors and programmable metamaterials.

Contribution

It introduces new theoretical results on field penetration effects and interaction energies, guiding future experimental design for electrovariable nanoplasmonic systems.

Findings

Electrovariability feasible in gold and ITO systems

Theory predicts controllable nanoparticle assembly at interfaces

Guides design of intelligent, programmable metamaterials

Abstract

A theory describing the forces governing the self-assembly of nanoparticles at the solid-liquid interface is developed. In the process, new theoretical results are derived to describe the effect that the field penetration of a point-like particle, into an electrode, has on the image potential energy, and pair interaction energy profiles at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The application of the theory is demonstrated for gold and ITO electrode systems, promising materials for novel colour-tuneable electrovariable smart mirrors and mirror-window devices respectively. Model estimates suggest that electrovariability is attainable in both systems and will act as a guide for future experiments. Lastly, the generalisability of the theory towards electrovariable, nanoplasmonic systems suggests that it may contribute towards the design of intelligent metamaterials with programmable properties.