New research from Monash University has delivered a breakthrough that could lead to faster, smaller and more energy-efficient lasers, with flow-on benefits for a range of smart city technologies.
Engineers have developed a new type of perovskite material assembled into an ordered “supercrystal,” enabling light to be amplified far more efficiently than in conventional structures. Instead of operating independently, tiny packets of energy known as excitons work collectively within the supercrystal, significantly boosting optical performance.
The findings, published in Laser & Photonics Reviews, point to potential advances in communications, sensing and computing. Applications could include more capable sensors for autonomous vehicles, improved medical imaging systems and more efficient light-based electronics used across urban infrastructure.
Corresponding author Professor Jacek Jasieniak from Monash’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering said the key innovation lies in how the material is organised rather than altering its chemistry.
“What’s exciting here is that we’re not changing the material itself, but how it’s organised,” Jasieniak said. “By assembling nanocrystals into an ordered supercrystal, the excitations created by light can cooperate rather than compete, allowing light to be amplified much more efficiently.”
Dr Manoj Sharma, who led the experimental work, said the research demonstrates new possibilities for nanocrystal assemblies.
“By assembling nanocrystals into a highly ordered supercrystal, we show that optical gain is no longer limited by inefficient single-particle interactions, but instead arises from collective excitonic behaviour across the entire structure,” Sharma said.
Perovskites have attracted growing interest for use in solar cells, LEDs, lasers and photodetectors due to their low-cost fabrication, tunability and high efficiency. The study highlights how engineering material structure — not just composition — can dramatically enhance performance, opening the door to practical applications in future smart city systems.
The research was conducted in collaboration with Professor Junhong Yu and colleagues at Chongqing Normal University.
