Full-color generation enabled by refractory plasmonic crystals

Plasmonic structural color, in which vivid colors are generated via resonant nanostructures made of common plasmonic materials, such as noble metals have fueled worldwide interest in backlight-free displays. However, plasmonic colors that were withstanding ultrahigh temperatures without damage remain an unmet challenge due to the low melting point of noble metals. Here, we report the refractory hafnium nitride (HfN) plasmonic crystals that can generate full-visible color with a high image resolution of ∼63,500 dpi while withstanding a high temperature (900 °C). Plasmonic colors that reflect visible light could be attributed to the unique features in plasmonic HfN, a high bulk plasmon frequency of 3.1 eV, whichcould support localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the visible range. By tuning the wavelength of the LSPR, the reflective optical response can be controlled to generate the colors from blue to red across a wide gamut. The novel refractory plasmonic colors pave the way for emerging applications ranging from reflective displays to solar energy harvesting systems.