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.

We investigate how random scattering modulates the optical properties, from terahertz to ultraviolet, of a three-dimensional graphene network based on interconnected high-quality 2-Dimensional graphene layers. We show how the connectivity and morphology of these materials allow a broadband interaction with light. The 3D graphene networks behave like a high-pass optical filter due to spatially multiscale random scatterers, corresponding to pores and graphene branches in the 3D network. We develop a model based on the Radiative Transfer theory describing the interaction of the network with light, from which we estimate the photon scattering mean free path.