Near-perfect infrared absorption in atomic monolayers: Approaching the fundamental optical limit

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ae12d9

Abstract High absorption in the mid-infrared band is essential for applications ranging from information processing to energy harvesting. Conventionally, achieving broadband absorption approaching the optical limit has required absorber thicknesses comparable to or exceeding the characteristic wavelength. By contrast, realizing such broadband infrared absorption at the atomic scale has remained exceedingly difficult. In this work, we demonstrate that a one-dimensional MXene grating system provides a platform for achieving strong infrared absorption at atomic thicknesses. The results show that an 8-nm MXene film (~ λ/1000) patterned with a simple stripe grating is found to approach the theoretical absorption limit of 0.5 for two-dimensional films. The absorption peak wavelength is readily tuned by varying the MXene strip width, while the positions of the optical resonances are accurately captured by a Fabry-Pérot model. Power dissipation analysis further reveals that the absorption arises from resonance-driven field enhancement and establishes a direct correlation between absorption and grating periodicity. These findings demonstrate a viable strategy for atomic-scale control of thermal radiation through rationally designed nanostructures.

Keywords: thermal radiation theoretical absorption limit MXene atomic thickness

Received: 21 August 2025
Revised: 13 October 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 14 October 2025

PACS:	44.40.+a	(Thermal radiation)
	61.80.Ba	(Ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation effects (including laser radiation))
	81.05.Xj	(Metamaterials for chiral, bianisotropic and other complex media)
	42.68.Ay	(Propagation, transmission, attenuation, and radiative transfer)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U22A20210, 52522604, and 523B2060), the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (Grant No. GZB20240951), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2025M774311), and the Funding for Postdoctoral Candidates in Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. AUGA41100088248).

Cite this article:

Jun-Yu Chu(楚俊宇), Cheng-Long Zhou(周承隆), Yan Wang(王妍), Yong Zhang(张勇), and Hong-Liang Yi(易红亮) Near-perfect infrared absorption in atomic monolayers: Approaching the fundamental optical limit 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 084401

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Near-perfect infrared absorption in atomic monolayers: Approaching the fundamental optical limit

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