Van der Waals semiconductor harvests synergistic effect of water scattering and optical reflection for wireless water photocommunication

作者：Naveen Kumar, Malkeshkumar Patel, Junsik Lee, Thanh Tai Nguyen, Sanh Vo Thi, Joondong Kim · 发表于：International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1088/2631-7990/aea03d · 研究领域：Optical Wireless Communication Technologies、Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research

Abstract Van der Waals (vdW) semiconductors have great potential for optoelectronic devices due to their tunable optoelectronic properties and broadband photodetection. However, their weak interaction with light, caused by their layered structure, has limited their use in wireless photocommunication. Optical communication allows signals to be transmitted and received remotely, without the need for complex circuits and wires. Since 70% of the surface of the earth is covered by water, wireless photocommunication has emerged as a revolutionary mode of communication, particularly underwater or through water. In this study, we propose an efficient approach that uses water scattering and total internal reflection to enhance the interaction of vdW materials with light. Specifically, we introduce a vdW-based transparent photovoltaic-based wireless photocommunication setup that can operate in water. Our experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in the received photosignal through water communication due to the heterostructure-enhanced light–vdW material interaction. We achieve a wide-field of view of the water through photocommunication and demonstrate real-time transmission of optical Morse code signals, such as SOS and HELP, through the water to a wireless display for visual and sound alerts. The wireless water-through photocommunication setup is self-powered and could be an alternative to expensive optical fibers with enhanced performance.