Disordered metasurfaces for energy capture, camouflage, and stealth via polarizonic interference
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School of Chemical Engineering |
Doctoral thesis (article-based)
| Defence date: 2025-10-02
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en
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87 + app. 14
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Aalto University publication series Doctoral Theses, 168/2025
Abstract
In response to the converging global challenges of climate change, energy sustainability, and advanced defense technologies, the development of materials capable of controlling light and heat across multiple spectral domains has become increasingly critical. Modern applications, ranging from energy-efficient building facades and solar harvesting systems to multispectral camouflage and infrared stealth, demand optical coatings that are not only spectrally versatile but also scalable, costeffective, and mechanically robust. This doctoral thesis introduces disordered metasurfaces for achieving multifunctional optical responses governed by energy capture, camouflage, and stealth applications. At the heart of this framework is the newly developed concept of polarizonic interference, which is an emergent light-matter interaction that enables broadband, omnidirectional, and angle-insensitive optical responses without reliance on periodicity or lithographic precision. The research progresses through three key demonstrations. First, the introduction of polarizonic interference and the development of vividly colored polarizonic foils that provide pigment-free structural color combined with spectrally selective solar absorption; Second, the realization of multiband stealth coatings capable of simultaneous ultraviolet absorption, visible-range camouflage, and infrared suppression within a single ultrathin layer; and third, the design of cloud-inspired metasurfaces that regulate thermal management through engineered backscattering and heattrapping. These disordered metasurfaces are fabricated entirely through a scalable physical vapor deposition method, eliminating the need for cleanroom facilities and complex patterning. Collectively, this thesis establishes a new paradigm in optical materials design by demonstrating how disordered metasurfaces can deliver scalable, multifunctional, and environmentally sustainable solutions for energy harvesting, spectral camouflage, and thermal management.Description
Supervising professor
Elbahri, Mady, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, FinlandThesis advisor
Faupel, Franz, Prof., Dr. rer. nat., Kiel University, GermanyKeywords
Other note
Parts
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[Publication 1]: Abdelaziz, M., Homaeigohar, S., Hedayati, M. K., Assad, M. A., & Elbahri, M. (2019). Solar aluminum kitchen foils with omnidirectional vivid polarizonic colors. Advanced Optical Materials, 7(15), 1900737.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202001021397DOI: 10.1002/adom.201900737 View at publisher
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[Publication 2]: Assad, M. A., & Elbahri, M. (2025). Perfect Ultraviolet absorbers via disordered polarizonic metasurfaces for multiband camouflage and stealth technologies. Advanced Functional Materials, 35(14), 2418271.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202508206611DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202418271 View at publisher
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[Publication 3]: Assad, M. A., Abdelaziz, M., Hartig, T., Strunskus, T., Vahl, A., Faupel, F., Elbahri, M.(2025). Cloud Inspired White and Grey Plasmonic Metasurfaces for Camouflaged Thermal Management. Advanced Materials, 2501080.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202509177195DOI: 10.1002/adma.202501080 View at publisher