Hybrid Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems for Controlling Light and Sensing

This interdisciplinary PhD project will focus on developing a new class of smart, optical materials based on mechanically re-configurable metamaterials. The core design will be a nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) integrated with liquid crystals, acting as a functional component of the composite material. The interplay and coupling between the optical and elastic properties of liquid crystals and nanoscale mechanical motion and deformations in NEMS will be explored. The aim of developing such a hybrid material system is toachieve reliable, dynamically adaptable behaviour and field-programmable functions for controlling light and sensing applications. The project will involve a broad range of activities, from nanofabrication and optical characterization to analytical calculations and numerical modelling.