Materials

Editorial

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4 pages, 165 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Plasmonics and its Applications

by Grégory Barbillon

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1502; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091502 - 8 May 2019

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5230

Abstract

Plasmonics is a quickly developing subject that combines fundamental research and applications ranging from areas such as physics to engineering, chemistry, biology, medicine, food sciences, and the environmental sciences. Plasmonics appeared in the 1950s with the discovery of surface plasmon polaritons. Then, plasmonics [...] Read more.

Plasmonics is a quickly developing subject that combines fundamental research and applications ranging from areas such as physics to engineering, chemistry, biology, medicine, food sciences, and the environmental sciences. Plasmonics appeared in the 1950s with the discovery of surface plasmon polaritons. Then, plasmonics went through a novel impulsion in mid-1970s when the surface-enhanced Raman scattering was discovered. Nevertheless, it is in this last decade that a very significant explosion of plasmonics and its applications has occurred. Thus, this special issue reports a snapshot of current advances in these various areas of plasmonics and its applications presented in the format of several articles and reviews written by worldwide researchers of this topic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

Research

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14 pages, 3201 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

AFM-Nano Manipulation of Plasmonic Molecules Used as “Nano-Lens” to Enhance Raman of Individual Nano-Objects

by Angélina D’Orlando, Maxime Bayle, Guy Louarn and Bernard Humbert

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091372 - 27 Apr 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3520

Abstract

This paper explores the enhancement of Raman signals using individual nano-plasmonic structures and demonstrates the possibility to obtain controlled gold plasmonic nanostructures by atomic force microscopy (AFM) manipulation under a confocal Raman device. By manipulating the gold nanoparticles (Nps) while monitoring them using [...] Read more.

This paper explores the enhancement of Raman signals using individual nano-plasmonic structures and demonstrates the possibility to obtain controlled gold plasmonic nanostructures by atomic force microscopy (AFM) manipulation under a confocal Raman device. By manipulating the gold nanoparticles (Nps) while monitoring them using a confocal microscope, it is possible to generate individual nano- structures, plasmonic molecules not accessible currently by lithography at these nanometer scales. This flexible approach allows us to tune plasmonic resonance of the nanostructures, to generate localized hot spots and to circumvent the effects of strong electric near field gradients intrinsic to Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS) or Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) experiments. The inter Np distances and symmetry of the plasmonic molecules in interaction with other individual nano-objects control the resonance conditions of the assemblies and the enhancement of their Raman responses. This paper shows also how some plasmonic structures generate localized nanometric areas with high electric field magnitude without strong gradient. These last plasmonic molecules may be used as "nano-lenses" tunable in wavelength and able to enhance Raman signals of neighbored nano-object. The positioning of one individual probed nano-object in the spatial area defined by the nano-lens becomes then very non-restrictive, contrary to TERS experiments where the spacing distance between tip and sample is crucial. The experimental flexibility obtained in these approaches is illustrated here by the enhanced Raman scatterings of carbon nanotube. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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9 pages, 2024 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diffractive Efficiency Optimization in Metasurface Design via Electromagnetic Coupling Compensation

by Yang Li and Minghui Hong

Materials 2019, 12(7), 1005; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071005 - 27 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3484

Abstract

Metasurface is an advanced flat optical component that can flexibly manipulate the electromagnetic wave in an ultrathin dimension. However, electromagnetic coupling among neighbored optical elements decreases the diffractive efficiency and increases the noise. In this paper, a novel computational method is proposed to [...] Read more.

Metasurface is an advanced flat optical component that can flexibly manipulate the electromagnetic wave in an ultrathin dimension. However, electromagnetic coupling among neighbored optical elements decreases the diffractive efficiency and increases the noise. In this paper, a novel computational method is proposed to optimize the coupling of the metasurface. The coupled electric fields in metasurface design are decomposed into various coupling orders and then restructured to replace the whole metasurface simulation. This method is applied to optimize a metasurface that consisted of conventional nanorod plasmonic antennas as a case study. The convergence of this method in calculation is demonstrated. The electric field intensity deviation of a nanoantenna array can be reduced from 112.2% to 0.5% by the second-order coupling correction. The diffractive efficiency of a three-level phase meta-deflector is optimized from 73% to 86% by optimized coupling compensation via particle swarm optimization (PSO). This process opens a new area of metasurface design by the detailed field distribution of optical elements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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14 pages, 3277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficiency Enhancement of Perovskite Solar Cells with Plasmonic Nanoparticles: A Simulation Study

by Ali Hajjiah, Ishac Kandas and Nader Shehata

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1626; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091626 - 5 Sep 2018

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 6838

Abstract

Recently, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have been extensively studied due to their promising optical properties with relatively low-cost and simple processing. However, the perovskite solar cells have some low optical absorption in the visible spectrum, especially around the red region. In this paper, an [...] Read more.

Recently, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have been extensively studied due to their promising optical properties with relatively low-cost and simple processing. However, the perovskite solar cells have some low optical absorption in the visible spectrum, especially around the red region. In this paper, an improvement of perovskite solar cell efficiency is studied via simulations through adding plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) at the rear side of the solar cell. The plasmonic resonance wavelength is selected to be very close to the spectrum range of lower absorption of the perovskite: around 600 nm. Both gold and silver nanoparticles (Au and Ag NPs) are selected to introduce the plasmonic effect with diameters above 40 nm, to get an overlap between the plasmonic resonance spectrum and the requested lower absorption spectrum of the perovskite layer. Simulations show the increase in the short circuit current density (J_sc) as a result of adding Au and Ag NPs, respectively. Enhancement in J_sc is observed as the diameter of both Au and Ag NPs is increased beyond 40 nm. Furthermore, there is a slight increase in the reflection loss as the thickness of the plasmonic nanoparticles at the rear side of the solar cell is increased. A significant decrease in the current loss due to transmission is achieved as the size of the nanoparticles increases. As a comparison, slightly higher enhancement in external quantum efficiency (EQE) can be achieved in case of adding Ag NPs rather than Au NPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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9 pages, 951 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Al/Si Nanopillars as Very Sensitive SERS Substrates

by Giovanni Magno, Benoit Bélier and Grégory Barbillon

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1534; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091534 - 26 Aug 2018

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3904

Abstract

In this paper, we present a fast fabrication of Al/Si nanopillars for an ultrasensitive SERS detection of chemical molecules. The fabrication process is only composed of two steps: use of a native oxide layer as a physical etch mask followed by evaporation of [...] Read more.

In this paper, we present a fast fabrication of Al/Si nanopillars for an ultrasensitive SERS detection of chemical molecules. The fabrication process is only composed of two steps: use of a native oxide layer as a physical etch mask followed by evaporation of an aluminum layer. A random arrangement of well-defined Al/Si nanopillars is obtained on a large-area wafer of Si. A good uniformity of SERS signal is achieved on the whole wafer. Finally, we investigated experimentally the sensitivity of these Al/Si nanopillars for SERS sensing, and analytical enhancement factors in the range of 1.5 × 10

^{7}

− 2.5 × 10

^{7}

were found for the detection of thiophenol molecules. Additionally, 3D FDTD simulations were used to better understand optical properties of Al/Si nanopillars as well as the Raman enhancement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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10 pages, 1684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hybrid Metal-Dielectric Nano-Aperture Antenna for Surface Enhanced Fluorescence

by Guowei Lu, Jianning Xu, Te Wen, Weidong Zhang, Jingyi Zhao, Aiqin Hu, Grégory Barbillon and Qihuang Gong

Materials 2018, 11(8), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11081435 - 14 Aug 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4407

Abstract

A hybrid metal-dielectric nano-aperture antenna is proposed for surface-enhanced fluorescence applications. The nano-apertures that formed in the composite thin film consist of silicon and gold layers. These were numerically investigated in detail. The hybrid nano-aperture shows a more uniform field distribution within the [...] Read more.

A hybrid metal-dielectric nano-aperture antenna is proposed for surface-enhanced fluorescence applications. The nano-apertures that formed in the composite thin film consist of silicon and gold layers. These were numerically investigated in detail. The hybrid nano-aperture shows a more uniform field distribution within the apertures and a higher antenna quantum yield than pure gold nano-apertures. The spectral features of the hybrid nano-apertures are independent of the aperture size. This shows a high enhancement effect in the near-infrared region. The nano-apertures with a dielectric gap were then demonstrated theoretically for larger enhancement effects. The hybrid nano-aperture is fully adaptable to large-scale availability and reproducible fabrication. The hybrid antenna will improve the effectiveness of surface-enhanced fluorescence for applications, including sensitive biosensing and fluorescence analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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6 pages, 6767 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Optical Third Harmonic Generation Using Nickel Nanostructure-Covered Microcube Structures

by Yoichi Ogata, Anatoliy Vorobyev and Chunlei Guo

Materials 2018, 11(4), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11040501 - 27 Mar 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3844

Abstract

We investigated the optical third harmonic generation (THG) signal from nanostructure-covered microcubes on Ni. We found that the hierarchical structures greatly change the third-order optical nonlinearity of the metallic surface. While the symmetry and lightning rod (LR) effects on microstructures did not significantly [...] Read more.

We investigated the optical third harmonic generation (THG) signal from nanostructure-covered microcubes on Ni. We found that the hierarchical structures greatly change the third-order optical nonlinearity of the metallic surface. While the symmetry and lightning rod (LR) effects on microstructures did not significantly influence the THG, the localized surface plasmon (LSP) effect on the nanostructures enhanced it. By removing the nanostructures on the hierarchical structures, THG intensity could be strongly suppressed. In the present paper, we also discuss the mechanism that enhances THG in nano/micro structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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8 pages, 1962 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Moving the Plasmon of LaB₆ from IR to Near-IR via Eu-Doping

by Tracy M. Mattox, D. Keith Coffman, Inwhan Roh, Christopher Sims and Jeffrey J. Urban

Materials 2018, 11(2), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11020226 - 1 Feb 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4983

Abstract

Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) has become a material of intense interest in recent years due to its low work function, thermal stability and intriguing optical properties. LaB₆ is also a semiconductor plasmonic material with the ability to support strong plasmon modes. [...] Read more.

Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) has become a material of intense interest in recent years due to its low work function, thermal stability and intriguing optical properties. LaB₆ is also a semiconductor plasmonic material with the ability to support strong plasmon modes. Some of these modes uniquely stretch into the infrared, allowing the material to absorb around 1000 nm, which is of great interest to the window industry. It is well known that the plasmon of LaB₆ can be tuned by controlling particle size and shape. In this work, we explore the options available to further tune the optical properties by describing how metal vacancies and Eu doping concentrations are additional knobs for tuning the absorbance from the near-IR to far-IR in La_1−xEu_xB₆ (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0). We also report that there is a direct correlation between Eu concentration and metal vacancies within the Eu_1−xLa_xB₆. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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Review

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24 pages, 5226 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plasmonics for Biosensing

by Xue Han, Kun Liu and Changsen Sun

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1411; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091411 - 30 Apr 2019

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 7989

Abstract

Techniques based on plasmonic resonance can provide label-free, signal enhanced, and real-time sensing means for bioparticles and bioprocesses at the molecular level. With the development in nanofabrication and material science, plasmonics based on synthesized nanoparticles and manufactured nano-patterns in thin films have been [...] Read more.

Techniques based on plasmonic resonance can provide label-free, signal enhanced, and real-time sensing means for bioparticles and bioprocesses at the molecular level. With the development in nanofabrication and material science, plasmonics based on synthesized nanoparticles and manufactured nano-patterns in thin films have been prosperously explored. In this short review, resonance modes, materials, and hybrid functions by simultaneously using electrical conductivity for plasmonic biosensing techniques are exclusively reviewed for designs containing nanovoids in thin films. This type of plasmonic biosensors provide prominent potential to achieve integrated lab-on-a-chip which is capable of transporting and detecting minute of multiple bio-analytes with extremely high sensitivity, selectivity, multi-channel and dynamic monitoring for the next generation of point-of-care devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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22 pages, 4960 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sum-Frequency Generation Spectroscopy of Plasmonic Nanomaterials: A Review

by Christophe Humbert, Thomas Noblet, Laetitia Dalstein, Bertrand Busson and Grégory Barbillon

Materials 2019, 12(5), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12050836 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 7272

Abstract

We report on the recent scientific research contribution of non-linear optics based on Sum-Frequency Generation (SFG) spectroscopy as a surface probe of the plasmonic properties of materials. In this review, we present a general introduction to the fundamentals of SFG spectroscopy, a well-established [...] Read more.

We report on the recent scientific research contribution of non-linear optics based on Sum-Frequency Generation (SFG) spectroscopy as a surface probe of the plasmonic properties of materials. In this review, we present a general introduction to the fundamentals of SFG spectroscopy, a well-established optical surface probe used in various domains of physical chemistry, when applied to plasmonic materials. The interest of using SFG spectroscopy as a complementary tool to surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in order to probe the surface chemistry of metallic nanoparticles is illustrated by taking advantage of the optical amplification induced by the coupling to the localized surface plasmon resonance. A short review of the first developments of SFG applications in nanomaterials is presented to span the previous emergent literature on the subject. Afterwards, the emphasis is put on the recent developments and applications of the technique over the five last years in order to illustrate that SFG spectroscopy coupled to plasmonic nanomaterials is now mature enough to be considered a promising research field of non-linear plasmonics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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39 pages, 29688 KiB

Open AccessReview

Light Concentration by Metal-Dielectric Micro-Resonators for SERS Sensing

by Andrey K. Sarychev, Andrey Ivanov, Andrey Lagarkov and Grégory Barbillon

Materials 2019, 12(1), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12010103 - 29 Dec 2018

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5782

Abstract

Metal-dielectric micro/nano-composites have surface plasmon resonances in visible and near-infrared domains. Excitation of coupled metal-dielectric resonances is also important. These different resonances can allow enhancement of the electromagnetic field at a subwavelength scale. Hybrid plasmonic structures act as optical antennae by concentrating large [...] Read more.

Metal-dielectric micro/nano-composites have surface plasmon resonances in visible and near-infrared domains. Excitation of coupled metal-dielectric resonances is also important. These different resonances can allow enhancement of the electromagnetic field at a subwavelength scale. Hybrid plasmonic structures act as optical antennae by concentrating large electromagnetic energy in micro- and nano-scales. Plasmonic structures are proposed for various applications such as optical filters, investigation of quantum electrodynamics effects, solar energy concentration, magnetic recording, nanolasing, medical imaging and biodetection, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and optical super-resolution microscopy. We present the review of recent achievements in experimental and theoretical studies of metal-dielectric micro and nano antennae that are important for fundamental and applied research. The main impact is application of metal-dielectric optical antennae for the efficient SERS sensing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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12 pages, 2781 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plasmon-Induced Electrocatalysis with Multi-Component Nanostructures

by Palaniappan Subramanian, Dalila Meziane, Robert Wojcieszak, Franck Dumeignil, Rabah Boukherroub and Sabine Szunerits

Materials 2019, 12(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12010043 - 24 Dec 2018

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4704

Abstract

Noble metal nanostructures are exceptional light absorbing systems, in which electron–hole pairs can be formed and used as “hot” charge carriers for catalytic applications. The main goal of the emerging field of plasmon-induced catalysis is to design a novel way of finely tuning [...] Read more.

Noble metal nanostructures are exceptional light absorbing systems, in which electron–hole pairs can be formed and used as “hot” charge carriers for catalytic applications. The main goal of the emerging field of plasmon-induced catalysis is to design a novel way of finely tuning the activity and selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts. The designed strategies for the preparation of plasmonic nanomaterials for catalytic systems are highly crucial to achieve improvement in the performance of targeted catalytic reactions and processes. While there is a growing number of composite materials for photochemical processes-mediated by hot charge carriers, the reports on plasmon-enhanced electrochemical catalysis and their investigated reactions are still scarce. This review provides a brief overview of the current understanding of the charge flow within plasmon-enhanced electrochemically active nanostructures and their synthetic methods. It is intended to shed light on the recent progress achieved in the synthesis of multi-component nanostructures, in particular for the plasmon-mediated electrocatalysis of major fuel-forming and fuel cell reactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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15 pages, 2924 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tuning the Surface Plasmon Resonance of Lanthanum Hexaboride to Absorb Solar Heat: A Review

by Tracy M. Mattox and Jeffrey J. Urban

Materials 2018, 11(12), 2473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122473 - 5 Dec 2018

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5101

Abstract

While traditional noble metal (Ag, Au, and Cu) nanoparticles are well known for their plasmonic properties, they typically only absorb in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The study of metal hexaborides, lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) in particular, expands the available absorbance range [...] Read more.

While traditional noble metal (Ag, Au, and Cu) nanoparticles are well known for their plasmonic properties, they typically only absorb in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The study of metal hexaborides, lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) in particular, expands the available absorbance range of these metals well into the near-infrared. As a result, LaB₆ has become a material of interest for its energy and heat absorption properties, most notably to those trying to absorb solar heat. Given the growing popularity of LaB₆, this review focuses on the advances made in the past decade with respect to controlling the plasmonic properties of LaB₆ nanoparticles. This review discusses the fundamental structure of LaB₆ and explains how decreasing the nanoparticle size changes the atomic vibrations on the surface and thus the plasmonic absorbance band. We explain how doping LaB₆ nanoparticles with lanthanide metals (Y, Sm, and Eu) red-shifts the absorbance band and describe research focusing on the correlation between size dependent and morphological effects on the surface plasmon resonance. This work also describes successes that have been made in dispersing LaB₆ nanoparticles for various optical applications, highlighting the most difficult challenges encountered in this field of study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmonics and its Applications)

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