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Optics
Volume 6
Issue 2
10.3390/opt6020020
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Infrared Imaging of Photochromic Contrast in Thiazolothiazole-Embedded Polymer Films

by
Nuren Z. Shuchi
1,*,
Tyler J. Adams
2,
Naz F. Tumpa
2,
Dustin Louisos
1,
Glenn D. Boreman
1,
Michael G. Walter
2 and
Tino Hofmann
3
1
Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
2
Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
3
Department of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Optics 2025, 6(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/opt6020020
Submission received: 15 April 2025 / Revised: 1 May 2025 / Accepted: 12 May 2025 / Published: 16 May 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

The increasing demand for optical technologies with dynamic spectral control has driven interest in chromogenic materials, particularly for applications in tunable infrared metasurfaces. Phase-change materials such as vanadium dioxide and germanium–antimony–tellurium, for instance, have been widely used in the infrared regime. However, their reliance on thermal and electrical tuning introduces challenges such as high power consumption, limited emissivity tuning, and slow modulation speeds. Photochromic materials may offer an alternative approach to dynamic infrared metasurfaces, potentially overcoming these limitations through rapid, light-induced changes in their optical properties. This manuscript explores the potential of thiazolothiazole-embedded polymers, known for their reversible photochromic transitions and strong infrared absorption changes, for use in tunable infrared metasurfaces. The material exhibits low absorption and a strong photochromic contrast in the spectral range from 1500 cm−1 to 1700 cm−1, making it suitable for dynamic infrared light control. This manuscript reports on infrared imaging experiments demonstrating the photochromic contrast in thiazolothiazole-embedded polymer, and thereby provides compelling evidence for its potential applications in dynamic infrared metasurfaces.
Keywords: infrared imaging; chromogenic thiazolothiazole; photochromic contrast; dynamic light control infrared imaging; chromogenic thiazolothiazole; photochromic contrast; dynamic light control

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MDPI and ACS Style

Shuchi, N.Z.; Adams, T.J.; Tumpa, N.F.; Louisos, D.; Boreman, G.D.; Walter, M.G.; Hofmann, T. Infrared Imaging of Photochromic Contrast in Thiazolothiazole-Embedded Polymer Films. Optics 2025, 6, 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/opt6020020

AMA Style

Shuchi NZ, Adams TJ, Tumpa NF, Louisos D, Boreman GD, Walter MG, Hofmann T. Infrared Imaging of Photochromic Contrast in Thiazolothiazole-Embedded Polymer Films. Optics. 2025; 6(2):20. https://doi.org/10.3390/opt6020020

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shuchi, Nuren Z., Tyler J. Adams, Naz F. Tumpa, Dustin Louisos, Glenn D. Boreman, Michael G. Walter, and Tino Hofmann. 2025. "Infrared Imaging of Photochromic Contrast in Thiazolothiazole-Embedded Polymer Films" Optics 6, no. 2: 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/opt6020020

APA Style

Shuchi, N. Z., Adams, T. J., Tumpa, N. F., Louisos, D., Boreman, G. D., Walter, M. G., & Hofmann, T. (2025). Infrared Imaging of Photochromic Contrast in Thiazolothiazole-Embedded Polymer Films. Optics, 6(2), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/opt6020020

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