Disordered photonics behavior from terahertz to ultraviolet of a three-dimensional graphene network

Abstract

The diffusion of light by random materials is a general phenomenon that appears in many different systems, spanning from colloidal suspension in liquid crystals to disordered metal sponges and paper composed of random fibers. Random scattering is also a key element behind mimicry of several animals, such as white beetles and chameleons. Here, random scattering is related to micro and nanosized spatial structures affecting a broad electromagnetic region. In this work, we have investigated how random scattering modulates the optical properties, from terahertz to ultraviolet light, of a novel functional material, i.e., a three-dimensional graphene (3D Graphene) network based on interconnected high-quality two-dimensional graphene layers. Here, random scattering generates a high-frequency pass-filter behavior. The optical properties of these graphene structures bridge the nanoworld into the macroscopic world, paving the way for their use in novel optoelectronic devices.