ASU researcher unlocks novel way to control light at the nanoscale
Sui Yang, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, operates equipment in his lab. He recently published a paper in Nano Letters about a novel way to manipulate light at the nanoscale using 3D printing, a capability that was previously out of reach. Photographer: Roger Ndayisaba/ASU
“We are the first team in the world to use 3D printing to control a material’s fundamental optical properties at the nanoscale,” says Sui Yang, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. “While 3D printing enables fast prototyping and customized shapes, it has traditionally been limited in resolution and the ability to reach the nanoscale. We’ve now broken through that barrier.”
One can think of a material’s optical fundamental properties like a camera’s settings used to turn light into a memorable photo. Similar to a camera’s settings, it is a material’s properties, such as refractive index, that dictate its performance in applications like LED lights, medical devices and computer chips. But unlike adjusting camera settings, tuning a material’s optical properties at the nanoscale is a complex and costly process.
“To fundamentally change how light interacts with matter, we must design materials at scales much smaller than the wavelength of light, at the nanoscale or below,” Yang says.
His recent publication in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters, titled “3D Printing-Threading of Gold Nanoplatelets for Enhanced Optical Wavevector and Spontaneous Emission,” introduces a novel method to control the key parameters that influence how a customized 3D printed product processes light. His innovation opens up new possibilities for the advanced manufacturing of optical materials with enhanced functionalities — from solar panels that can capture more sunlight and lasers that emit light faster to higher-resolution endoscopic lenses.
Engineering light at the nanoscale
Yang says that technology companies traditionally rely on nanofabrication techniques like electron-beam lithography to make optical products, including computer chips.
“Producing chips or other optical components requires advanced facilities like those of a major microelectronics manufacturer and is extremely costly, which drives up the price of everyday products,” Yang says.
His solution is conceptually straightforward but technically demanding.
A 3D printer in progress in Yang’s lab. Photographer: Roger Ndayisaba/ASU
From footwear to computer chips and car interior parts, manufacturers around the world use 3D printing to make consumer products. In fact, the global market for 3D printing in 2025 is estimated at $29.29 billion and is expected to grow up to $134.58 billion by 2034.
Yang is introducing nanotechnology to give 3D printers the ability to modify a material’s optics and unlock a new way to manufacture optical products.
“Traditional 3D printing can’t precisely control optical properties of a material at the nanoscale, which, while cost-effective, prevents industry from using it to manufacture optical products,” Yang says.
First, his team embeds nanoplatelets, or tiny metal particles, into a resin solution. Then an electric field is applied within the 3D printer’s bed to align the nanoplatelets into chain-like patterns during printing. The setup was developed through a collaboration between Yang and Xiangjia “Cindy” Li, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering in the Fulton Schools. Yang appreciates Li’s contribution and compares the 3D printing process to assembling grains of salt in a continuous line within water, rather than letting them scatter randomly.
“My team introduced nanoscale geometric self-assembly into the 3D printing process,” Yang says. “The alignment of nanoplatelets at the nanoscale fundamentally changes how light moves through the material being printed.”
Yang’s research has many positive implications, but he is excited about one in particular.
Advancing Richard Feynman’s vision
Inspired by physicist Richard Feynman’s 1959 lecture, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” where he envisioned the ability to manipulate matter at the atomic level, Yang plans to keep advancing 3D printing to control light at smaller scales.
“We want to go down to a few nanometers or even beyond nanometers,” he says.
By publishing his recent findings in Nano Letters, one of the most respected publications in nanotechnology, Yang hopes to spark new ideas and advancement in the field.
“Manipulating light at the nanoscale level is a big deal to society, and until now, using 3D printing was not an option,” Yang says. “We hope people in the field take the knowledge and use it to make new and useful products.”
