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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Self-Assembled BaTiO 3 –Au x Ag 1– x Low-Loss Hybrid Plasmonic Metamaterials with an Ordered “Nano-Domino-like” Microstructure

Metallic plasmonic hybrid nanostructures have attracted enormous research interest due to the combined physical properties coming from different material components and the broad range of applications in nanophotonic and electronic devices. However, the high loss and narrow range of property tunability of the metallic hybrid materials have limited their practical applications. In this study, a metallic alloy-based self-assembled plasmonic hybrid nanostructure, i.e., a BaTiO 3 –Au x Ag 1– x (BTO) vertically aligned nanocomposite, has been integrated by a templated growth method for low-loss plasmonic systems. Comprehensive microstructural characterizations including high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRSTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and three-dimensional (3D) electron tomography demonstrate the formation of an ordered “nano-domino-like” morphology with Au 0.4 Ag 0.6 nanopillars as cylindrical cores and BTO as square shells. By comparing with the BTO–Au hybrid thin film, the BTO–Au 0.4 Ag 0.6 alloyed film exhibits much broader plasmon resonance, hyperbolic dispersion, low-loss, and thermally robust features in the UV–vis–NIR wavelength region. This study provides a feasible platform for a complex alloyed plasmonic hybrid material design with low-loss and highly tunable optical properties toward all-optical integrated devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Understanding How Acoustic Vibrations Modulate the Optical Response of Plasmonic Metal Nanoparticles

Measurements of acoustic vibrations in nanoparticles provide a unique opportunity to study mechanical phenomena at nanometer length scales and picosecond time scales. Vibrations in noble-metal nanoparticles have attracted particular attention, because they couple to plasmon resonances in the nanoparticles, leading to strong modulation of optical absorption and scattering. There are three mechanisms that transduce the mechanical oscillations into changes in the plasmon resonance: (1) changes in polarizability due to changes in the nanoparticle geometry; (2) changes in electron density due to changes in the nanoparticle volume and (3) changes in the interband transition energies due to compression/expansion of the nanoparticle (deformation potential). These mechanisms have been studied in the past to explain the origin of the experimental signals; however, a thorough quantitative connection between the coupling of phonon and plasmon modes and separate contribution of each coupling mechanism has not yet been made. Here, we present a numerical method to quantitatively determine the coupling between vibrational and plasmon modes in noble-metal nanoparticles of arbitrary geometries, and apply it to spheres, shells, rods, and cubes in the context of time resolved measurements. We separately determine the parts of the optical response that are due to shape changes, changes in electron density, and changes in deformation potential (DP). We further show that coupling is in general strongest when the regions of largest electric field (plasmon mode) and largest displacement (phonon mode) overlap. Lastly, these results clarify reported experimental results, and should help guide future experiments and potential applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Tuning and Switching a Plasmonic Quantum Dot “Sandwich” in a Nematic Line Defect

We study the quantum-mechanical effects arising in a single semiconductor core/shell quantum dot (QD) controllably sandwiched between two plasmonic nanorods. Control over the position and the 'sandwich' confinement structure is achieved by the use of a linear-trap liquid crystal (LC) line defect and laser tweezers that 'push' the sandwich together. This arrangement allows for the study of exciton-plasmon interactions in a single structure, unaltered by ensemble effects or the complexity of dielectric interfaces. We demonstrate the effect of plasmonic confinement on the photon antibunching behavior of the QD and its luminescence lifetime. The QD behaves as a single emitter when nanorods are far away from the QD but shows possible multiexciton emission and a significantly decreased lifetime when tightly confined in a plasmonic 'sandwich'. These findings demonstrate that LC defects, combined with laser tweezers, enable a versatile platform to study plasmonic coupling phenomena in a nanoscale laboratory, where all elements can be arranged almost at will.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Plasmonic Hybridization and Near-Field Localization in Gold “Dog Bone” Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles with complex anisotropic geometries offer unique opportunities for tailoring plasmonic near-fields beyond the limits of conventional nanorods. Here we combine photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM) and full-wave simulations to resolve plasmon hybridization and near-field localization in gold dog-bone nanoparticles and their dimers with and without conformal SiO 2 shells. We demonstrate that the dog-bone geometry drives unconventional polarization-dependent field confinement, including pronounced tip-localized near-fields under both longitudinal and transverse excitation. Conformal SiO 2 shells red-shift the plasmon resonances through dielectric screening and prevent charge-transfer coupling in adjacent dimers. Depending on the dimer orientation and excitation polarization, coupled structures exhibit distinct bonding- and antibonding-like hybridized modes as well as interparticle near-field channels. However, weakly interacting dimers retain largely independent particle responses with geometry-governed asymmetries. The close agreement between PINEM measurements and simulations establishes a direct picture of how shape, dielectric environment, and nanoscale coupling together define plasmonic modes in complex anisotropic nanoparticles. These findings provide design principles for engineering localized optical fields in plasmonic nanoscale structures.

hybridization↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ferroplasmons: Intense Localized Surface Plasmons in Metal-Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles

Interaction of photons with matter at length scales far below their wavelengths has given rise to many novel phenomena, including localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). However, LSPR with narrow bandwidth (BW) is observed only in a select few noble metals, and ferromagnets are not among them. Here, we report the discovery of LSPR in ferromagnetic Co and CoFe alloy (8% Fe) in contact with Ag in the form of bimetallic nanoparticles prepared by pulsed laser dewetting. These plasmons in metal-erromagnetic nanostructures, or ferroplasmons (FP) for short, are in the visible spectrum with comparable intensity and BW to those of the LSPRs from the Ag regions. This finding was enabled by electron energy-loss mapping across individual nanoparticles in a monochromated scanning transmission electron microscope. The appearance of the FP is likely due to plasmonic interaction between the contacting Ag and Co nanoparticles. Since there is no previous evidence for materials that simultaneously show ferromagnetism and such intense LSPRs, this discovery may lead to the design of improved plasmonic materials and applications. It also demonstrates that materials with interesting plasmonic properties can be synthesized using bimetallic nanostructures in contact with each other.

localized surface plasmon resonance . electron ene↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermal excitation of plasmons for near-field thermophotovoltaics

The traditional approaches of exciting plasmons consist of either using electrons (e.g., electron energy loss spectroscopy) or light (Kretchman and Otto geometry) while more recently plasmons have been excited even by single photons. A different approach: thermal excitation of a plasmon resonance at high temperatures using alternate plasmonic media was proposed by S. Molesky et al. [Opt. Express 21, A96–A110 (2013)]. Here, we show how the long-standing search for a high temperature narrowband near-field emitter for thermophotovoltaics can be fulfilled by thermally exciting plasmons. We also describe a method to control Wein's displacement law in the near-field using high temperature epsilon-near-zero metamaterials. Finally, we show that our work opens up an interesting direction of research for the field of slow light: thermal emission control.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Plasmons in molecules: Microscopic characterization based on orbital transitions and momentum conservation

In solid state physics, electronic excitations are often classified as plasmons or single-particle excitations. The former class of states refers to collective oscillations of the electron density. The random-phase approximation allows for a quantum-theoretical treatment and a characterization on a microscopic level as a coherent superposition of a large number of particle-hole transitions with the same momentum transfer. However, small systems such as molecules or small nanoclusters lack the basic properties (momentum conservation and uniform exchange interaction) responsible for the formation of plasmons in the solid-state case. Despite an enhanced interest in plasmon-based technologies and an increasing number of studies regarding plasmons in molecules and small nanoclusters, their definition on a microscopic level of theory remains ambiguous. In this work, we analyze the microscopic properties of molecular plasmons in comparison with the homogeneous electron gas as a model system. Subsequently, the applicability of the derived characteristics is validated by analyzing the electronic excitation vectors with respect to orbital transitions for two linear polyenes within second order versions of the algebraic diagrammatic construction scheme for the polarization propagator.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thickness controlled sol-gel silica films for plasmonic bio-sensing devices

Plasmonics has recently received considerable interest due to its potentiality in many fields as well as in nanobio-technology applications. In this regard, various strategies are required for modifying the surfaces of plasmonic nanostructures and to control their optical properties in view of interesting application such as bio-sensing, We report a simple method for depositing silica layers of controlled thickness on planar plasmonic structures. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was used as silica precursor. The control of the silica layer thickness was obtained by optimizing the sol-gel method and dip-coating technique, in particular by properly tuning different parameters such as pH, solvent concentration, and withdrawal speed. The resulting films were characterized via atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform (FT) spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Furthermore, by performing the analysis of surface plasmon resonances before and after the coating of the nanostructures, it was observed that the position of the resonance structures could be properly shifted by finely controlling the silica layer thickness. The effect of silica coating was assessed also in view of sensing applications, due to important advantages, such as surface protection of the plasmonic structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Wavelength-selective plasmonics for enhanced cultivation of microalgae

Optimal photon management is a key challenge for photobioreactor design, since light gradients and varying spectral sensitivities between organisms result in uneven illumination and unused photons. This paper demonstrates wavelength specific scattering from plasmonic nano-patterned surfaces as a means of addressing the challenge of photon management in photobioreactors. Modular photobioreactors were constructed with different reflective substrates including arrays of plasmonic nanodisks, broadband reflectors, and untreated glass. It was found that the growth rate of cyanobacterium S. elongatus in photobioreactors equipped with a plasmonic substrate (R{sub 623 nm} ∼ 35%) was enhanced by 6.5% compared to photobioreactors equipped with untreated glass. Furthermore, plasmonic reflectors showed a normalized power efficiency improvement of 52% over broadband reflectors. Wavelength-specific reflection from plasmonic reflectors increases the flux of useful light to cultures without sacrificing the full spectrum.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Exceptional enhancement of H{sub 2} production in alkaline environment over plasmonic Au/TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst under visible light

A reaction environment modulation strategy was employed to promote the H{sub 2} production over plasmonic Au/semiconductor composites. It is shown that the fast consumption of the holes in plasmonic Au nanoparticles by methanol in alkaline reaction environment remarkably increases H{sub 2} generation rate under visible light. The photocatalytic reaction is mainly driven by the interband transition of plasmonic Au nanoparticles, and the apparent quantum efficiency of plasmon-assisted H{sub 2} production at pH 14 reaches 6% at 420 nm. The reaction environment control provides a simple and effective way for the highly efficient solar fuel production from biomass reforming through plasmonic photocatalysis in future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Controlling guided modes in plasmonic metal/dielectric multilayer waveguides

We investigate the mode properties of planar dielectric aluminum-quinoline (Alq{sub 3}) multilayer waveguides comprising one single or three equally spaced embedded nanometer-thin (∼10 nm thick) Alq{sub 3}-Mg{sub 0.9}:Ag{sub 0.1} composite metal-island layers. The plasmonic waveguides were fabricated by organic molecular beam deposition. Transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) modes were selectively excited using the m-line method. The symmetric plasmonic TM{sub 0} mode was launched in all waveguides and—in addition—two higher order plasmonic TM{sub 1} and TM{sub 2} modes were generated in waveguides comprising three metal layers. Other TM modes have hybrid dielectric-plasmonic characters, showing an increased effective refractive index when one electric field antinode is close to a metallic layer. TM modes which have all their antinode(s) in the dielectric layers propagate essentially like dielectric modes. TE modes with antinode(s) at the position of the metal layer(s) are strongly damped while the losses are low for TE modes comprising a node at the position of the composite metal film(s). The possibility to control the effective refractive index and the losses for individual hybrid plasmonic-dielectric TM and dielectric TE modes opens new design opportunities for mode selective waveguides and TM-TE mode couplers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fourier plane colorimetric sensing using broadband imaging of surface plasmons and application to biosensing

We demonstrate an optical technique for refractive index and thickness sensing of sub-wavelength-thick dielectric analytes. The technique utilizes the broadband, multimode, directional leakage radiation arising from the excitation of hybrid mode surface plasmons (SP) on low aspect ratio periodic plasmonic substrates with period ≈λ. The approach requires relaxed fabrication tolerances compared to extra ordinary transmission-based sensing techniques, wherein minor shifts in the fabricated dimensions result in a very large change from the designed resonant wavelength. We show that refractive index perturbations due to about 10-nm-thick dielectric can be captured optically by the usage of carefully designed plasmonic substrates, a halogen lamp source, free-space optical components, polarizers, and a low-end, consumer-grade charge coupled device camera. The plasmonic substrates were designed for converting the signature of hybrid mode SP excitation into a transmission peak by utilizing a thin homogeneous metal layer sandwiched between the periodic plasmonic structures and the substrate. The resonance is highly sensitive to the refractive index and thickness of the analyte superstrate. The excitation of hybrid mode SP results in a polarization rotation of 90° of the leaked radiation at resonant wavelength. In order to eliminate the problem of image registration (i.e., placing the same feature in the same pixel of the image, for comparison before and after a change in refractive index) for sensing, we perform the color analysis in the Fourier plane. The change in color of the bright emitted spot with highest momentum, corresponding to the leakage of fundamental SP mode, was used to measure the changes in refractive index, whereas the number and color of spots of lower momenta, corresponding to higher-order Fabry Perot modes, was used to measure the variation in thickness. We further show that the Fourier plane analysis can also be used to sense the index of thicker dielectrics, where real plane image analysis may fail to sense index perturbations, simply due to superposition of different modes in the real plane images of such substrates. Control experiments and analysis revealed a refractive index resolution of 10{sup –5} RIU. The results were correlated with simulations to establish the physical origin of the change in the fundamental mode and higher-order modes due to the refractive index and thickness of analyte. As a demonstration of an application and to test the limits of sensing, the substrates were used to image the surface functionalization using 2-nm-thick 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and immobilization of 7-nm-thick mouse anti-human IgG antibody. In biological systems, where a priori knowledge about a process step is available, where accurate chemical composition testing is not necessary or possible, the presented method could be used to study the surface changes using a label-free sensing mechanism.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Tunable multipole resonances in plasmonic crystals made by four-beam holographic lithography

Plasmonic nanostructures confine light to sub-wavelength scales, resulting in drastically enhanced light-matter interactions. Recent interest has focused on controlled symmetry breaking to create higher-order multipole plasmonic modes that store electromagnetic energy more efficiently than dipole modes. Here we demonstrate that four-beam holographic lithography enables fabrication of large-area plasmonic crystals with near-field coupled plasmons as well as deliberately broken symmetry to sustain multipole modes and Fano-resonances. Compared with the spectrally broad dipole modes we demonstrate an order of magnitude improved Q-factors (Q = 21) when the quadrupole mode is activated. We further demonstrate continuous tuning of the Fano-resonances using the polarization state of the incident light beam. The demonstrated technique opens possibilities to extend the rich physics of multipole plasmonic modes to wafer-scale applications that demand low-cost and high-throughput.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Plasmon generation in sputtered Ga-doped MgZnO thin films for solar cell applications

The crystalline, electrical, morphological, optical properties and plasmonic behaviour of Ga doped MgZnO (GMZO) thin films grown at different substrate temperatures (200–600 °C) by a dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS) system are investigated. Transmittance value of more than ∼94% in 400–1000 nm region is observed for all GMZO films. The particle plasmon features can be detected in the absorption coefficient spectra of GMZO grown at 500 and 600 °C in the form of a peak at ∼4.37 eV, which corresponds to a plasmon resonance peak of nanoclusters formed in GMZO. The presence of such plasmonic features is confirmed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The values of particle plasmon resonance energy of various nanoclusters are in the range of solar spectrum, and these can easily be tuned and excited at the desirable wavelengths while optimizing the efficiency of solar cells (SCs) by simple alteration of DIBS growth temperature. These nanoclusters are extremely promising to enhance the optical scattering and trapping of the incident light, which increases the optical path length in the absorber layer of cost-effective SCs and eventually increases its efficiency.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Polarization-dependent plasmonic photocurrents in two-dimensional electron systems

Plasmonic polarization dependent photocurrents in a homogeneous two-dimensional electron system are studied. Those effects are completely different from the photon drag and electronic photogalvanic effects as well as from the plasmonic ratchet effect in a density modulated two-dimensional electron system. Linear and helicity-dependent contributions to the photocurrent are found. The linear contribution can be interpreted as caused by the longitudinal and transverse plasmon drag effect. The helicity-dependent contribution originates from the non-linear electron convection and changes its sign with reversing the plasmonic field helicity. It is shown that the helicity-dependent component of the photocurrent can exceed the linear one by several orders of magnitude in high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems. The results open possibilities for all-electronic detection of the radiation polarization states by exciting the plasmonic photocurrents in two-dimensional electron systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Two-dimensional plasmons in lateral carbon nanotube network structures and their effect on the terahertz radiation detection

We consider the carrier transport and plasmonic phenomena in the lateral carbon nanotube (CNT) networks forming the device channel with asymmetric electrodes. One electrode is the Ohmic contact to the CNT network and the other contact is the Schottky contact. These structures can serve as detectors of the terahertz (THz) radiation. We develop the device model for collective response of the lateral CNT networks which comprise a mixture of randomly oriented semiconductor CNTs (s-CNTs) and quasi-metal CNTs (m-CNTs). The proposed model includes the concept of the collective two-dimensional (2D) plasmons in relatively dense networks of randomly oriented CNTs (CNT “felt”) and predicts the detector responsivity spectral characteristics exhibiting sharp resonant peaks at the signal frequencies corresponding to the 2D plasmonic resonances. The detection mechanism is the rectification of the ac current due the nonlinearity of the Schottky contact current-voltage characteristics under the conditions of a strong enhancement of the potential drop at this contact associated with the plasmon excitation. The detector responsivity depends on the fractions of the s- and m-CNTs. The burning of the near-contact regions of the m-CNTs or destruction of these CNTs leads to a marked increase in the responsivity in agreement with our experimental data. The resonant THz detectors with sufficiently dense lateral CNT networks can compete and surpass other THz detectors using plasmonic effects at room temperatures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Large tuning of narrow-beam terahertz plasmonic lasers operating at 78 K

A new tuning mechanism is demonstrated for single-mode metal-clad plasmonic lasers, in which the refractive-index of the laser’s surrounding medium affects the resonant-cavity mode in the same vein as the refractive-index of gain medium inside the cavity. Reversible, continuous, and mode-hop-free tuning of ~57 GHz is realized for single-mode narrow-beam terahertz plasmonic quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs), which is demonstrated at a much more practical temperature of 78 K. The tuning is based on post-process deposition/etching of a dielectric (silicon-dioxide) on a QCL chip that has already been soldered and wire-bonded onto a copper mount. This is a considerably larger tuning range compared to previously reported results for terahertz QCLs with directional far-field radiation patterns. The key enabling mechanism for tuning is a recently developed antenna-feedback scheme for plasmonic lasers, which leads to the generation of hybrid surface-plasmon-polaritons propagating outside the cavity of the laser with a large spatial extent. The effect of dielectric deposition on QCL’s characteristics is investigated in detail including that on maximum operating temperature, peak output power, and far-field radiation patterns. Single-lobed beam with low divergence (<7°) is maintained through the tuning range. The antenna-feedback scheme is ideally suited for modulation of plasmonic lasers and their sensing applications due to the sensitive dependence of spectral and radiative properties of the laser on its surrounding medium.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Photostability of blue phosphorescent films on plasmonic surfaces

Organometallic phosphors are an important class of emissive materials used in high-efficiency organic light-emitting devices. However, problems of low photostability arise for blue-emitting phosphors due to chemical and environmental degradation and triplet quenching processes. Various approaches have been developed to improve the photostability of such phosphors, including the design of new organometallic molecules and control of host-dopant composition in thin films. Here, we demonstrate a different approach for improving the photostability of blue organometallic phosphors that uses localized surface plasmon resonances to increase the triplet recombination rate. The increased recombination rate improves the photostability of the phosphor due to the reduction in triplet quenching pathways. We show that the lifetime of phosphorescence is decreased significantly by nanoparticle-based plasmonic surfaces, which improves the photostability of the blue organometallic phosphor by up to a factor of 3.6. Other plasmonic surfaces are also tested and exhibit less significant photostability improvements due to a reduced spectral overlap of the plasmonic modes with the emitter and lower mode confinement. The use of plasmonic surfaces to improve phosphor photostability at blue wavelengths is distinct from other approaches because it involves modification to the local electromagnetic environment of the phosphor rather than modifications to the phosphor molecular structure or the emitting material composition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗