3D Nanoarchitected Transparent Piezoelectric Glass-Ceramics

Three-dimensional (3D) glass-ceramics nanoarchitectures hold significant potential for integrated photonics and microsystems, yet their functionality is not tunable since their shapes are typically fixed, limiting their use in adaptive devices. Here, a method for fabricating high-performance 3D piezoelectric glass-ceramics nanoarchitectures with feature sizes down to 160 nm is reported, which simultaneously exhibits excellent optical transparency and a pronounced piezoelectric response. A transparent single-source photoresist with an inorganic content of 66 wt % is proposed for high-resolution optical nanofabrication. Combining two-photon lithography with a carefully controlled sintering process, a polycrystalline ZnO-SiO₂ glass-ceramics and an optimally performing monocrystalline Zn₂SiO₄-SiO₂ glass-ceramics are obtained at 600 °C and 900 °C, respectively. The monocrystalline glass-ceramics achieve fully dense and high-fidelity 3D nanoarchitectures, which simultaneously exhibit enhanced piezoelectric response (d₃₃ ∼ 45 pm/V) with fluorescence emission and excellent optical transparency. Moreover, a distinct angle-sensitive structural color from high-precision 3D photonic structures is demonstrated. This study demonstrates a promising strategy for developing tunable 3D glass-ceramics nanoarchitectures, with engineering application prospects in optical metamaterials, nanoelectromechanical systems, and intelligent transparent microsystems.