Transparent Display using a quasi-array of Si-SiO 2 Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Abstract

A novel type of transparent monitor with high-resolution images based on Si-SiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles is presented in this contribution. In this monitor, a quasi-array of nanoparticles was used to obtain a very sharp scattering profile. For this purpose, the Si-SiO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized and with controlling the size of particles, the dominant emission wavelength was controlled. For the fabrication of a blue color transparent monitor the solution processed Si-SiO 2 nanoparticles were dispersed in polystyrene and then coated on a transparent glass surface. After drying the film, the typical features representing a transparent monitor were studied. A video projector was used and text and pictures were sent on the monitor. This monitor reveals very attractive features such as simplicity, wide viewing angle, scalability to larger sizes and low cost. Importantly, the texts and pictures can be well presented on both sides of the fabricated monitor. The composite thin film can be also separated from the glass and can be used as a flexible display. To shed light on the impact of the structure on the optical properties Si-SiO 2 and Ag nanomaterials representing perfect arrays of nanoparticles, quasi-arrays and randomly oriented nanoparticles were calculated/simulated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results were compared to the experimental data and show a high accordance.