>> THERE ARE A LOT OF
APPLICATIONS FOR
COLLOIDAL CRYSTALS
MADE FROM NANOPARTICLE
HALOING SUSPENSIONS.
AND THESE ARE MAINLY
IDEALIZED PHOTONIC CRYSTALS.
YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT
IN DIFFERENT OPTICAL SYSTEMS.
ONE EXAMPLE IS IN
THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY.
RIGHT NOW, IF YOU WANT TO
TAKE A SIGNAL FROM
ONE FIBER OPTIC LINE
AND TRANSITION IT TO
ANOTHER FIBER OPTIC LINE,
YOU HAVE TO FIRST
TAKE THAT OPTICAL SIGNAL,
TURN IT INTO
AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL,
THEN RUN IT THROUGH
ELECTRICAL SWITCHING GEAR
AND THEN TURN IT BACK INTO
AN OPTICAL SIGNAL
TO SEND IT ON ITS WAY.
IF YOU COULD CREATE
A CRYSTAL STRUCTURE THAT WOULD
JUST BEND LIGHT DIRECTLY,
YOU COULD JUST KEEP
THE LIGHT AS IS
RUN IT THROUGH
A COLLOIDAL CRYSTAL,
HAVE THAT COLLOIDAL CRYSTAL
BEND THE LIGHT ONTO A NEW
FIBER OPTIC LINE,
AND NOW YOU'VE SWITCHED LINES
AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO
GO THROUGH THE EFFORT
OF TRANSFORMING IT BACK
INTO AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL.
AND THAT'S A HUGE
ENERGY SAVINGS IN
THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY.
AND THIS IS WHERE
NANOPARTICLE HALOING
IS REALLY INTERESTING
FOR THOSE APPLICATIONS,
BECAUSE IN ORDER TO BEND LIGHT
IN A NORMAL CRYSTAL STRUCTURE,
YOU WOULD HAVE TO
BUILD IN DEFECTS
SO THAT THE LIGHT COULD MOVE
EFFECTIVELY AROUND THE DEFECTS.
AND THAT'S REALLY HARD TO DO,
BUT WITH THE NANOPARTICLES,
THE NONLINEAR OPTICAL EFFECTS
ARE ACTUALLY, UH,
SOMETHING THAT IS
INHERENT TO THEIR PROPERTIES
AS A NANOMATERIAL.
SO, BY PLAYING WITH
PARTICLE VOLUME
VERSUS SURFACE AREA
AS WELL AS PARTICLE SIZE
AND MATERIAL,
ALL OF THOSE WILL ALLOW US
TO HAVE VERY DIFFERENT
AND VERY CONTROLLABLE LEVERS
TO BE ABLE TO BEND LIGHT
BECAUSE EACH ONE OF THOSE
CONTROL POINTS WILL
INTERACT WITH LIGHT
IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY,
AND THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY REALLY GET INTO
THE IDEA OF BENDING LIGHT.