Dynamic optical chirality based on liquid-crystal-embedded nano-cilia photonic structures

Compared to natural chiral molecules, artificial chiral photonic structures offer stronger chiroptical responses. However, the remarkable optical properties of most chiral structures are fixed upon fabrication, limiting their applications in scenarios where a dynamic response is required. Here, we propose an active optical chirality strategy by nano-kirigami and self-organization method, based on which a dual chiral framework is fabricated with cilia structures and cholesteric liquid crystal (LC). This dual chiral framework allows for a dynamic and wide range of chiroptical responses with nanoscale pixel size, enabling amplification, elimination, and reversal of circular dichroism. Furthermore, a thermally tunable chiroptical metalens based on this cilia-LC framework is constructed to achieve a focusing switch of circularly polarized light. This proposed technique holds great potential in diverse fields, including dynamic imaging, optical encryption, tunable displays, and sensors.