Unleashing the Potential of Metamaterial-Driven Light to Matter Interaction
| Dates: | 19 March 2024 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Dr Joel Loh |
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Welcome to this EEE Wide seminar research events
Background: This seminar will talk about two topics: residual stress driving memristance, and metamaterials for catalysis. In the first topic I will show how introducing residual stresses and micro-voids through the process of adding non-reactive gas during the plasma sputtering of metals can prime the overlying metal nitride layer to achieve low threshold switching voltages in milli-Volt range. Residual nitrogen species within the silver under-layer creates nano-sized void defects within the dielectric over-layer as well as residual stresses in the giga-pascal range to enable sub-micron filamentation growth. We also link both the switching voltages and neuromorphic properties to the plasma pressure during silver deposition. In the next topic I will discuss how the unique light matter interaction properties of metamaterials can be used for catalysis. Below unity index metamaterials can achieve plasmonic-like electric field intensities in non-plasmonic wavelengths, which enable new reaction pathways. In addition, thermal metamaterials have been shown to emit super-blackbody radiation at the near field, which drive activation and adsorption of reactant molecules. Understanding and designing these interactions will enable us to optimize metamaterials for a wide range of important reactions, as well as benefit adjacent fields such as sensing and optics.
Speaker
Dr Joel Loh
Role: DKO fellow
Organisation: EEE, University of Manchester
Biography: Joel Y. Y. Loh is a Dame Kathleen Ollernshaw Fellow at the University of Manchester since 2023. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and switched to the Electrical and Computer Engineering department in University of Toronto for his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. He was presented with the Connaught Scholar Award and the Award for Excellence in Research at the Advanced Photovoltaics and Photodevices Facility. He has contributed to and has been the recipient of several grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He is interested in developing metamaterials for energy applications and memristors for neuromorphic computing applications.
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Engineering A_3A.057 M&T
Nancy Rothwell Building
Booth Street East
Manchester
