Canalized light creates directional and switchable surface structures in vanadium dioxide.

ABSTRACT: Materials with switchable nanostructured surfaces enable optical and electronic functionalities beyond those of natural materials. Here we report the creation of self-organized, re-writable, laser-induced surface structures in single-crystalline vanadium dioxide. We discover anisotropic features caused by canalized surface plasmon polaritons that can only propagate along one crystal axis. The nanostructures remain mostly single-crystalline and preserve the material's sharp metal-to-insulator transition, enabling femtosecond switching by temperature or light.

SUBMITTER: Kazenwadel D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12037821 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature