Transparent self-heating plasmonic metasurfaces using ink-jet printing technology

Recently, we developed photothermal plasmonic metasurfaces consisting of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and anisotropic gold nanorods (GNRs). To fabricate these metasurfaces, we prepared co-assembled CNC-GNR particles that created a well-aligned annular ring pattern after complete evaporation. The CNC-GNR films were self-heated by plasmonic effects under visible wavelengths. The temperature increase of the film varied depending on the concentration of GNRs in the coated pattern. To achieve a high temperature increase, the concentration of GNRs needed to be high, making the film non-transparent. To expand its application areas, we used ink-jet printing to fabricate a transparent self-heating plasmonic metasurface. We experimentally investigated the optimal conditions for ink-jet printing to achieve high-resolution printing fidelity. This work not only charts a new physicochemical pathway for next-generation nanomaterials based on CNC control but also highlights the potential of these materials to advance the field of nanotechnology. We believe that this could benefit applications in aircraft and vehicle de-icing systems and photonic device thermal management.