1
|
Zhang H, Feng X, Yuan L, Zhang Y, Liu H. Metasurface Absorbers with Film-Coupled Au Nanoclusters to Achieve Broadband and Polarization-Independent Absorption of UV-Vis Light. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 37878742 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c11252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Metasurface absorbers (MAs) have attracted widespread interest in the recent study of subwavelength artificial optical metasurfaces, although most reported MAs suffer from the actualities of costly and time-consuming fabrications, narrow working bandwidth, polarization-dependent responses, etc., somewhat limiting their practical applications. Herein, we introduce a facile and low-cost method to fabricate MAs with excellent absorption performances via the self-assembly of synthesized Au nanoclusters (NCs) on a Au film spaced by a nanoscale-thick dielectric SiO2. Interestingly, the proposed MAs with well-designed Au film-coupled Au NCs (i.e., an appropriate surface coverage of Au NCs and the compatible thickness of the SiO2 spacer) exhibited a measured average absorbance above 90% within a broad UV-vis wavelength band (200-800 nm). In addition, owing to the MAs' topological symmetry, their UV-vis absorption behaviors presented polarization insensitivity with the incident light angles ranging from 20 to 50°. It has been demonstrated that the excited different surface plasmon resonance modes between Au NCs and the adjacent Au film were vital; in addition, the light-trapping effects from "V"-shaped structures of Au NCs were favorable for the designed MAs with enhanced light absorption. We believe that such MAs and the potential self-assembly fabrication strategy may facilitate scalable optical applications such as photothermalvoltaics, ultraviolet protection, optical storage, and sensing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Zhang
- Lightweight Optics and Advanced Materials Center, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xingdong Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Optical Technologies on Nano-Fabrication and Micro-Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China
| | - Li Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Optical Technologies on Nano-Fabrication and Micro-Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Lightweight Optics and Advanced Materials Center, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Lightweight Optics and Advanced Materials Center, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kim DH, Kwon HG, Choi HK. Dewetting-Induced Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers Templated by Colloidal Crystals. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15040897. [PMID: 36850181 PMCID: PMC9961777 DOI: 10.3390/polym15040897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in high-performance flexible electronic devices have increased the demand for more diverse and complex nanofabrication methods; high-resolution, high-efficiency, and low-cost patterning strategies for next-generation devices are therefore required. In this study, we demonstrate the formation of dewetting-induced hierarchical patterns using two self-assembled materials: block copolymers (BCPs) and colloidal crystals. The combination of the two self-assembly methods successfully generates multiscale hierarchical patterns because the length scales of the periodic colloidal crystal structures are suitable for templating the BCP patterns. Various concentric ring patterns were observed on the templated BCP films, and a free energy model of the polymer chain was applied to explain the formation of these patterns relative to the template width. Frequently occurring spiral-defective features were also examined and found to be promoted by Y-junction defects.
Collapse
|
3
|
Hu H, Weber T, Bienek O, Wester A, Hüttenhofer L, Sharp ID, Maier SA, Tittl A, Cortés E. Catalytic Metasurfaces Empowered by Bound States in the Continuum. ACS NANO 2022; 16:13057-13068. [PMID: 35953078 PMCID: PMC9413421 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c05680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Photocatalytic platforms based on ultrathin reactive materials facilitate carrier transport and extraction but are typically restricted to a narrow set of materials and spectral operating ranges due to limited absorption and poor energy-tuning possibilities. Metasurfaces, a class of 2D artificial materials based on the electromagnetic design of nanophotonic resonators, allow optical absorption engineering for a wide range of materials. Moreover, tailored resonances in nanostructured materials enable strong absorption enhancement and thus carrier multiplication. Here, we develop an ultrathin catalytic metasurface platform that leverages the combination of loss-engineered substoichiometric titanium oxide (TiO2-x) and the emerging physical concept of optical bound states in the continuum (BICs) to boost photocatalytic activity and provide broad spectral tunability. We demonstrate that our platform reaches the condition of critical light coupling in a TiO2-x BIC metasurface, thus providing a general framework for maximizing light-matter interactions in diverse photocatalytic materials. This approach can avoid the long-standing drawbacks of many naturally occurring semiconductor-based ultrathin films applied in photocatalysis, such as poor spectral tunability and limited absorption manipulation. Our results are broadly applicable to fields beyond photocatalysis, including photovoltaics and photodetectors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Hu
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Thomas Weber
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Oliver Bienek
- Walter
Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University Munich, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Alwin Wester
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Ludwig Hüttenhofer
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Ian D. Sharp
- Walter
Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technical University Munich, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Stefan A. Maier
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University
Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- The
Blackett Laboratory, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Tittl
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Emiliano Cortés
- Chair
in Hybrid Nanosystems, Nanoinstitute Munich, Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Königinstraße 10, 80539 München, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li Y, Lin C, Li K, Chi C, Huang B. Nanoparticle-on-Mirror Metamaterials for Full-Spectrum Selective Solar Energy Harvesting. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:5659-5666. [PMID: 35709431 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Most broadband metamaterial absorbers are realized by patterning periodic arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles (>100 nm) on dielectric/metallic substrates to enable both electric and magnetic resonances. These metamaterials, however, require costly nanolithographic top-down techniques for fabrication. Here, we demonstrate new-concept nanoparticle-on-mirror (NoM) metamaterial absorbers by densely packing plasmonic nanoparticles of much smaller size (∼30 nm) on metal films directly. Such a simple but rational design enables the use of all-solution-based bottom-up processes. Because of the decoupling of electric and magnetic polarizations in these ultrasmall nanoparticles, excellent impedance match and near-perfect light absorption can be achieved in a broad band over the solar spectrum with weak thermal emission. Proof-of-concept large-area NoM metamaterial absorbers that offer a solar absorptance of 94% but a low IR emittance of 2% are experimentally demonstrated. The outstanding performance, bottom-up process, and great compatibility render the design promising for efficient and large-scale solar energy harvesting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Chongjia Lin
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Keqiao Li
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Cheng Chi
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Baoling Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Shenzhen 518048, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Landeke-Wilsmark B, Hägglund C. Metal nanoparticle arrays via a water-based lift-off scheme using a block copolymer template. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:325302. [PMID: 35579929 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac64b1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Metalnanoparticles(NPs) can exhibit unique electronic, magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties. Highly ordered, dense arrays of non-close-packed, surface-supported metal NPs are thus of potential use in a wide range of applications. Implementing such arrays over large surfaces can, however, be both technologically challenging and prohibitively expensive using conventional top-down nanofabrication techniques. Moreover, many existing patterning methods are too harsh for sensitive substrate surfaces and their applications. To address this, we here investigate a fabrication protocol involving a water-based lift-off scheme in which the template pattern generation is rapidly and inexpensively achieved throughblock copolymer(BCP) self-assembly. A three-layer lift-off stack consisting of, from top to bottom, a poly(styrene-block-2-vinyl pyridine) template, a SiOxintermediate hardmask, and a water-soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) sacrificial layer is employed in this endeavor.Solvent-induced surface reconstruction(SISR) is used to generate an initial surface topography in the BCP template which is subsequently transferred to the layers beneath in a sequence of reactive ion etching steps. Through judicious selection of stack materials and dry etch chemistries, a layered, high-aspect-ratio, nanoporous mask is thus implemented. After metal deposition, the mask and excess material are simply removed in a lift-off step by dissolving the bottommost sacrificial layer in water. The incorporation of an intermediate hardmask and a water-soluble sacrificial layer obviates the need for harmful and/or corrosive lift-off solvents and decouples the BCP self-assembly process from the influence of substrate properties. We demonstrate the generation of well-ordered arrays of Au NPs capable of supporting sharp, localized surface plasmon resonances. We also investigate improvements to large-scale uniformity, as this is found sensitive to the SISR termination step in the original protocol. Extensions of the technique to other BCP morphologies and materials deposited ought to be straightforward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Björn Landeke-Wilsmark
- Division of Solar Cell Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala University, PO Box 35, SE-75103 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carl Hägglund
- Division of Solar Cell Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala University, PO Box 35, SE-75103 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kulkarni AA, Doerk GS. Thin film block copolymer self-assembly for nanophotonics. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:292001. [PMID: 35358955 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac6315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The nanophotonic engineering of light-matter interactions has profoundly changed research behind the design and fabrication of optical materials and devices. Metasurfaces-arrays of subwavelength nanostructures that interact resonantly with electromagnetic radiation-have emerged as an integral nanophotonic platform for a new generation of ultrathin lenses, displays, polarizers and other devices. Their success hinges on advances in lithography and nanofabrication in recent decades. While existing nanolithography techniques are suitable for basic research and prototyping, issues of cost, throughput, scalability, and substrate compatibility may preclude their use for many metasurface applications. Patterning via spontaneous self-assembly of block copolymer thin films offers an enticing alternative for nanophotonic manufacturing that is rapid, inexpensive, and applicable to large areas and diverse substrates. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of block copolymer-based nanopatterning and highlights recent progress in their use for broadband antireflection, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and other nanophotonic applications. Recent advances in diversification of self-assembled block copolymer nanopatterns and improved processes for enhanced scalability of self-assembled nanopatterning using block copolymers are also discussed, with a spotlight on directions for future research that would enable a wider array of nanophotonic applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashish A Kulkarni
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, United States of America
| | - Gregory S Doerk
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cummins C, Flamant Q, Dwivedi R, Alvarez-Fernandez A, Demazy N, Bentaleb A, Pound-Lana G, Zelsmann M, Barois P, Hadziioannou G, Baron A, Fleury G, Ponsinet V. An Ultra-Thin Near-Perfect Absorber via Block Copolymer Engineered Metasurfaces. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 609:375-383. [PMID: 34902674 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Producing ultrathin light absorber layers is attractive towards the integration of lightweight planar components in electronic, photonic, and sensor devices. In this work, we report the experimental demonstration of a thin gold (Au) metallic metasurface with near-perfect visible absorption (∼95 %). Au nanoresonators possessing heights from 5 - 15 nm with sub-50 nm diameters were engineered by block copolymer (BCP) templating. The Au nanoresonators were fabricated on an alumina (Al2O3) spacer layer and a reflecting Au mirror, in a film-coupled nanoparticle design. The BCP nanopatterning strategy to produce desired heights of Au nanoresonators was tailored to achieve near-perfect absorption at ≈ 600 nm. The experimental insight described in this work is a step forward towards realizing large area flat optics applications derived from subwavelength-thin metasurfaces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cian Cummins
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, F-33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Quentin Flamant
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Ranjeet Dwivedi
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Alberto Alvarez-Fernandez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, U.K
| | - Nils Demazy
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Ahmed Bentaleb
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Gwenaelle Pound-Lana
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA/LETI Minatec, Grenoble INP, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Marc Zelsmann
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA/LETI Minatec, Grenoble INP, LTM, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Philippe Barois
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | | | - Alexandre Baron
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Guillaume Fleury
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, F-33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Virginie Ponsinet
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5031, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Leveraging long short-term memory (LSTM)-based neural networks for modeling structure-property relationships of metamaterials from electromagnetic responses. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18629. [PMID: 34545123 PMCID: PMC8452651 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97999-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a neural network model for predicting the electromagnetic response of mesoscale metamaterials as well as generate design parameters for a desired spectral behavior. Our approach entails treating spectral data as time-varying sequences and the inverse problem as a single-input multiple output model, thereby compelling the network architecture to learn the geometry of the metamaterial designs from the spectral data in lieu of abstract features.
Collapse
|
9
|
Hu Q, Lin KT, Lin H, Zhang Y, Jia B. Graphene Metapixels for Dynamically Switchable Structural Color. ACS NANO 2021; 15:8930-8939. [PMID: 33988983 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c01570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Structural coloration providing vibrant and tailored colors enables broad applications. Existing strategies of structural coloration either use resonances or diffraction induced by arrayed nanostructures with element sizes at a wavelength scale or are based on interference from vacuum-deposited large-area thin films. It is extremely challenging to achieve full color pixels with diffraction-limited resolution without sophisticated multiple-step nanostructure fabrication or externally applied field control. Realization of dynamically switchable full color displays with diffraction-limited resolution is even harder. This work demonstrates a structural color strategy with developed anisotropic graphene metapixels. The anisotropic optical property is given by the intrinsic birefringence of the layered structure of graphene metamaterials, and each metapixel is spatially encoded by direct laser printing with diffraction-limited resolution (250 nm). The colors can be dynamically and instantly switched by controlling the scattering of the light source to excite different modes based on the strong anisotropic optical properties of the graphene metapixels. The low-cost large-scale fabrication method allows experimental demonstration of a large-area (4 in.) flexible full color optical switchable display. Such a simple, effective and flexible method promises broad practical applications in color display and color image sensing related fields.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingmei Hu
- Beijing Key Lab of Nanophotonics & Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems and School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
- Centre for Translational Atomaterials, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Keng-Te Lin
- Centre for Translational Atomaterials, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Han Lin
- Centre for Translational Atomaterials, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Yongyou Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab of Nanophotonics & Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems and School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Baohua Jia
- Centre for Translational Atomaterials, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
- The Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Murphy E, Liu Y, Krueger D, Prasad M, Lee SE, Park Y. Visible-Light Induced Sustainable Water Treatment Using Plasmo-Semiconductor Nanogap Bridge Array, PNA. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2006044. [PMID: 33448125 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202006044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The development of sustainable methods for energy-intensive water treatment processes continues to be a challenging issue. Plasmonic-semiconductor nanoparticles, which absorb large amounts of sunlight in the visible range for conversion into chemical energy efficiently, can form the basis of a sustainable water treatment method. However, the potential uses of plasmonic semiconductor particles for water treatment have not been fully explored yet because of the limitations associated with the imbalance between light capture, charge transfer, and the required recycling steps for the particles themselves. Herein, a significantly improved visible-light-induced water treatment method that uses a plasmo-semiconductor nanogap bridge array (PNA) is reported. As an arrangement of antenna-reactors, the PNA enables the balancing of the largely enhanced electromagnetic field in the plasmonic nanogap coupling region and optimal separation of charge carriers in the semiconductor. The simultaneous effects of visible-light absorption and charge transfer lead to the generation of a highly enhanced visible-light-induced OH radical (•OH). Consequently, visible-light-induced 5-log N/N0 water disinfection and 100% chemical decomposition for sustainable water treatment were demonstrated. Owing to the large light absorption, charge carrier utilization, and array-oriented scalability, the PNA will be valuable in various sustainable energy and environmental applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Murphy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Yunbo Liu
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Daniel Krueger
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Meghna Prasad
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Somin Eunice Lee
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Younggeun Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Feng L, Huo P, Liang Y, Xu T. Photonic Metamaterial Absorbers: Morphology Engineering and Interdisciplinary Applications. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e1903787. [PMID: 31566259 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201903787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in nanofabrication technologies have spurred many breakthroughs in the field of photonic metamaterials that provide efficient ways of manipulating light-matter interaction at subwavelength scales. As one of the most important applications, photonic metamaterials can be used to implement novel optical absorbers. First the morphology engineering of various photonic metamaterial absorbers is discussed, which is highly associated with impendence matching conditions and resonance modes of the absorbers, thus directly determines their absorption efficiency, operational bandwidth, incident angle, and polarization dependence. Then, the recent achievements of various interdisciplinary applications based on photonic metamaterial absorbers, including structural color generation, ultrasensitive optical sensing, solar steam generation, and highly responsive photodetection, are reviewed. This report is expected to provide an overview and vision for the future development of photonic metamaterial absorbers and their applications in novel nanophotonic systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Feng
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Pengcheng Huo
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yuzhang Liang
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Ting Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Willis DE, Taheri MM, Kizilkaya O, Leite TR, Zhang L, Ofoegbuna T, Ding K, Dorman JA, Baxter JB, McPeak KM. Critical Coupling of Visible Light Extends Hot-Electron Lifetimes for H 2O 2 Synthesis. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:22778-22788. [PMID: 32338494 PMCID: PMC7304819 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c00825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Devices driven by above-equilibrium "hot" electrons are appealing for photocatalytic technologies, such as in situ H2O2 synthesis, but currently suffer from low (<1%) overall quantum efficiencies. Gold nanostructures excited by visible light generate hot electrons that can inject into a neighboring semiconductor to drive electrochemical reactions. Here, we designed and studied a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure of Au nanoparticles on a ZnO/TiO2/Al film stack, deposited through room-temperature, lithography-free methods. Light absorption, electron injection efficiency, and photocatalytic yield in this device are superior in comparison to the same stack without Al. Our device absorbs >60% of light at the Au localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak near 530 nm-a 5-fold enhancement in Au absorption due to critical coupling to an Al film. Furthermore, we show through ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy that the Al-coupled samples exhibit a nearly 5-fold improvement in hot-electron injection efficiency as compared to a non-Al device, with the hot-electron lifetimes extending to >2 ps in devices photoexcited with fluence of 0.1 mJ cm-2. The use of an Al film also enhances the photocatalytic yield of H2O2 more than 3-fold in a visible-light-driven reactor. Altogether, we show that the critical coupling of Al films to Au nanoparticles is a low-cost, lithography-free method for improving visible-light capture, extending hot-carrier lifetimes, and ultimately increasing the rate of in situ H2O2 generation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Willis
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Mohammad M. Taheri
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Orhan Kizilkaya
- Louisiana State University Center for
Advanced Microstructures & Devices, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806, United States
| | - Tiago R. Leite
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Laibao Zhang
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Tochukwu Ofoegbuna
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Kunlun Ding
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - James A. Dorman
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Jason B. Baxter
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Kevin M. McPeak
- Gordon and Mary
Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yun HS, Do HW, Berggren KK, Ross CA, Choi HK. Commensurability-Driven Orientation Control during Block Copolymer Directed Self-Assembly. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:10852-10857. [PMID: 32024362 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b22104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the orientation of block copolymer (BCP) patterns in topographical templates is controlled using a simple template design rule. The orientation of the pattern is selected by using a template with one commensurate dimension and one incommensurate dimension. An array of binary states of a BCP pattern can be programmed into a desired layout by tuning of the template wall thickness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Su Yun
- Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Wan Do
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Karl K Berggren
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Caroline A Ross
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Hong Kyoon Choi
- Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Cao T, Liu K, Lu L, Chui HC, Simpson RE. Chalcogenide-gold dual-layers coupled to gold nanoparticles for reconfigurable perfect absorption. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:20546-20553. [PMID: 31432855 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr04759j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Recently, tunable high absorptance from various nanophotonic structures has been demonstrated. However, most of these structures require nano-lithography, which is expensive and slow. Lithography-free tuneable absorbers are rarely explored for tuneable visible and near-infrared photonics. Herein, we demonstrate a gold (Au)/chalcogenide dual-layer that is resonantly coupled to Au nanoparticles (NPs). The structure exhibits angle and polarisation-independent high absorptance. At resonance, waveguide cavity-like modes are excited between the film and NPs whilst gap plasmon modes are excited between the NPs. Coalescence of the waveguide cavity-like modes, the gap plasmon modes, and the highly absorbing chalcogenide semiconductor not only leads to perfect absorptance but also a reconfigurable response via reversible structural phase transitions in the chalcogenide film. In the amorphous state, the design provides nearly perfect absorptance for both p- and s-polarisation states at an incident angle of 20°. However, after switching to the crystalline state, the peak absorptance spectrally broadens and redshifts from 980 to 1520 nm. This experimental observation was theoretically validated by the finite element method. Thermal-electric modeling was performed to show that the structural transition from crystalline to amorphous states is possible in just 5 ns, thus allowing high-speed reconfigurable perfect absorbers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tun Cao
- School of Optoelectronic Engineering and Instrumentation Science, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Kuan Liu
- School of Optoelectronic Engineering and Instrumentation Science, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Li Lu
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore
| | - Hsiang-Chen Chui
- School of Optoelectronic Engineering and Instrumentation Science, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Robert E Simpson
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zhang H, Guan C, Luo J, Yuan Y, Song N, Zhang Y, Fang J, Liu H. Facile Film-Nanoctahedron Assembly Route to Plasmonic Metamaterial Absorbers at Visible Frequencies. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:20241-20248. [PMID: 31083897 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b01088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plasmonic metamaterial absorbers (MAs) with broadband and near-perfect absorption properties in the visible region were successfully fabricated via a facile film-colloidal nanoparticle (NP) assembly method. In this approach, colloidal octahedral Au NPs were employed as the surface meta-atoms of MAs, whereas nanoscale-thick SiO2 and Al films were used as the dielectric spacer and reflector, respectively. It is worth noting that the Au nanoctahedra were randomly assembled onto the Al-SiO2 films, and no effort was made to precisely control their spatial arrangements. The optical characterization showed that the as-prepared MAs exhibited broadband high absorption (average absorptivity above 85%) within the whole visible spectrum for a broad range of incident angles (0°-60°). In particular, two polarization-independent near-perfect absorption peaks (absorptance above 99%) were recorded near 540 and 727 nm, respectively. Moreover, the absorption properties of the MAs can be effectively controlled and tailored by varying the geometry (the thickness of the dielectric spacer and the surface coverages of the Au nanoctahedra). Electromagnetic simulations further demonstrated that enhanced Mie resonances and strong plasmonic coupling effects were critical for the designed MAs. This work here may provide an efficient and alternative route for the design of scalable visible light absorbers for applications such as solar cells, photothermalvoltaics, and biochemical sensors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Zhang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Chunlin Guan
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hulkkonen H, Sah A, Niemi T. All-Metal Broadband Optical Absorbers Based on Block Copolymer Nanolithography. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:42941-42947. [PMID: 30421602 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b17294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The growing interest in solar energy during recent years has spurred on the development of high-efficiency optical absorbers using emerging concepts in plasmonics and metamaterials. Most absorber designs require patterning on a subwavelength scale, making large-scale fabrication expensive or impractical. This study presents an all-metal metasurface with tightly packed, sub-80 nm nanodomes fabricated by template-stripping thin gold films from reusable silicon templates. Subwavelength patterning was achieved via molecular self-assembly of block copolymers, which enables large-area, periodic patterning with nanometer precision. The proposed nanodome surface acts as an optical absorber capable of absorbing 97% of incident light in the visible range 320-650 nm, and still more than 90% at high incidence angles. We demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically that the absorption behavior of the thin film can be controlled by changing the size of the nanodomes, namely, the gap between the structures. The enhanced absorption of light is attributed to localized particle plasmon and gap plasmon resonances. This research provides a straightforward and cost-effective strategy to design and fabricate thin, large-area, light-absorbing coatings that can be transferred onto nearly any rigid or flexible substrate. The all-metal metasurfaces are a promising candidate for plasmon-induced hot electron generation for efficient solar energy conversion in photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Hulkkonen
- Laboratory of Photonics , Tampere University of Technology , P. O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere , Finland
| | - Aashish Sah
- Laboratory of Photonics , Tampere University of Technology , P. O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere , Finland
| | - Tapio Niemi
- Laboratory of Photonics , Tampere University of Technology , P. O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere , Finland
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Do HW, Choi HK, Gadelrab KR, Chang JB, Alexander-Katz A, Ross CA, Berggren KK. Directed self-assembly of a two-state block copolymer system. NANO CONVERGENCE 2018; 5:25. [PMID: 30467681 PMCID: PMC6158142 DOI: 10.1186/s40580-018-0156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this work, ladder-shaped block copolymer structures consisting of parallel bars, bends, and T-junctions are formed inside square confinement. We define binary states by the two degenerate alignment orientations, and study properties of the two-state system. We control the binary states by creating openings around the confinement, changing the confinement geometry, or placing lithographic guiding patterns inside the confinement. Self-consistent field theory simulations show templating effect from the wall openings and reproduce the experimental results. We demonstrate scaling of a single binary state into a larger binary state array with individual binary state control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Wan Do
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Hong Kyoon Choi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
- Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan, South Korea
| | - Karim R. Gadelrab
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Jae-Byum Chang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Alfredo Alexander-Katz
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Caroline A. Ross
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Karl K. Berggren
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Sadeghi SM, Wing WJ, Gutha RR, Sharp C. Semiconductor quantum dot super-emitters: spontaneous emission enhancement combined with suppression of defect environment using metal-oxide plasmonic metafilms. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 29:015402. [PMID: 29130899 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa9a1c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate that a metal-oxide plasmonic metafilm consisting of a Si/Al oxide junction in the vicinity of a thin gold layer can quarantine excitons in colloidal semiconductor quantum dots against their defect environments. This process happens while the plasmon fields of the gold layer enhance spontaneous emission decay rates of the quantum dots. We study the emission dynamics of such quantum dots when the distance between the Si/Al oxide junction and the gold thin layer is varied. The results show that for distances less than a critical value the lifetime of the quantum dots can be elongated while they experience intense plasmon fields. This suggests that the metal-oxide metafilm can keep photo-excited electrons in the cores of the quantum dots, suppressing their migration to the surface defect sites. This leads to suppression of Auger recombination, offering quantum dot super-emitters with emission that is enhanced not only by the plasmon fields (Purcell effect), but also by strong suppression of the non-radiative decay caused by the defect sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seyed M Sadeghi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, United States of America
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Jung K, Bak CH, Ku SJ, Kim JB. Fabrication of block copolymer templates by using dually responsive photoresist bottom layers. REACT FUNCT POLYM 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
20
|
Gwo S, Chen HY, Lin MH, Sun L, Li X. Nanomanipulation and controlled self-assembly of metal nanoparticles and nanocrystals for plasmonics. Chem Soc Rev 2016; 45:5672-5716. [PMID: 27406697 DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00450d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) associated with metallic nanostructures offer unique possibilities for light concentration beyond the diffraction limit, which can lead to strong field confinement and enhancement in deep subwavelength regions. In recent years, many transformative plasmonic applications have emerged, taking advantage of the spectral and spatial tunability of LSPRs enabled by near-field coupling between constituent metallic nanostructures in a variety of plasmonic metastructures (dimers, metamolecules, metasurfaces, metamaterials, etc.). For example, the "hot spot" formed at the interstitial site (gap) between two coupled metallic nanostructures in a plasmonic dimer can be spectrally tuned via the gap size. Capitalizing on these capabilities, there have been significant advances in plasmon enhanced or enabled applications in light-based science and technology, including ultrahigh-sensitivity spectroscopies, light energy harvesting, photocatalysis, biomedical imaging and theranostics, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, ultrahigh-density data storage, as well as plasmonic metamaterials and metasurfaces exhibiting unusual linear and nonlinear optical properties. In this review, we present two complementary approaches for fabricating plasmonic metastructures. We discuss how meta-atoms can be assembled into unique plasmonic metastructures using a variety of nanomanipulation methods based on single- or multiple-probes in an atomic force microscope (AFM) or a scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical tweezers, and focused electron-beam nanomanipulation. We also provide a few examples of nanoparticle metamolecules with designed properties realized in such well-controlled plasmonic metastructures. For the spatial controllability on the mesoscopic and macroscopic scales, we show that controlled self-assembly is the method of choice to realize scalable two-dimensional, and three-dimensional plasmonic metastructures. In the section of applications, we discuss some key examples of plasmonic applications based on individual hot spots or ensembles of hot spots with high uniformity and improved controllability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shangjr Gwo
- Department of Physics, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Cummins C, Ghoshal T, Holmes JD, Morris MA. Strategies for Inorganic Incorporation using Neat Block Copolymer Thin Films for Etch Mask Function and Nanotechnological Application. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2016; 28:5586-618. [PMID: 26749571 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201503432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) and their directed self-assembly (DSA) has emerged as a realizable complementary tool to aid optical patterning of device elements for future integrated circuit advancements. Methods to enhance BCP etch contrast for DSA application and further potential applications of inorganic nanomaterial features (e.g., semiconductor, dielectric, metal and metal oxide) are examined. Strategies to modify, infiltrate and controllably deposit inorganic materials by utilizing neat self-assembled BCP thin films open a rich design space to fabricate functional features in the nanoscale regime. An understanding and overview on innovative ways for the selective inclusion/infiltration or deposition of inorganic moieties in microphase separated BCP nanopatterns is provided. Early initial inclusion methods in the field and exciting contemporary reports to further augment etch contrast in BCPs for pattern transfer application are described. Specifically, the use of evaporation and sputtering methods, atomic layer deposition, sequential infiltration synthesis, metal-salt inclusion and aqueous metal reduction methodologies forming isolated nanofeatures are highlighted in di-BCP systems. Functionalities and newly reported uses for electronic and non-electronic technologies based on the inherent properties of incorporated inorganic nanostructures using di-BCP templates are highlighted. We outline the potential for extension of incorporation methods to triblock copolymer features for more diverse applications. Challenges and emerging areas of interest for inorganic infiltration of BCPs are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cian Cummins
- Materials Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- AMBER@CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Tandra Ghoshal
- Materials Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- AMBER@CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Justin D Holmes
- AMBER@CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Materials Chemistry and Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry and Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Michael A Morris
- Materials Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- AMBER@CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kim SJ, Park J, Esfandyarpour M, Pecora EF, Kik PG, Brongersma ML. Superabsorbing, Artificial Metal Films Constructed from Semiconductor Nanoantennas. NANO LETTERS 2016; 16:3801-8. [PMID: 27149008 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
In 1934, Wilhelm Woltersdorff demonstrated that the absorption of light in an ultrathin, freestanding film is fundamentally limited to 50%. He concluded that reaching this limit would require a film with a real-valued sheet resistance that is exactly equal to R = η/2 ≈ 188.5Ω/□, where [Formula: see text] is the impedance of free space. This condition can be closely approximated over a wide frequency range in metals that feature a large imaginary relative permittivity εr″, that is, a real-valued conductivity σ = ε0εr″ω. A thin, continuous sheet of semiconductor material does not facilitate such strong absorption as its complex-valued permittivity with both large real and imaginary components preclude effective impedance matching. In this work, we show how a semiconductor metafilm constructed from optically resonant semiconductor nanostructures can be created whose optical response mimics that of a metallic sheet. For this reason, the fundamental absorption limit mentioned above can also be reached with semiconductor materials, opening up new opportunities for the design of ultrathin optoelectronic and light harvesting devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soo Jin Kim
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
| | - Junghyun Park
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
| | - Majid Esfandyarpour
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
| | - Emanuele F Pecora
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
| | - Pieter G Kik
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
- CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida , 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32816, United States
| | - Mark L Brongersma
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials , 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, United States
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Yan J, Liu P, Ma C, Lin Z, Yang G. Plasmonic near-touching titanium oxide nanoparticles to realize solar energy harvesting and effective local heating. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:8826-8838. [PMID: 27067248 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01295g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Through the excitation of plasmon resonance, the energy of plasmonic nanoparticles either reradiates through light scattering or decays into energetic electrons (absorption). The plasmon-induced absorption can greatly enhance the efficiency of solar energy harvesting, local heating, photodetection and photocatalysis. Here, we demonstrate that heavily self-doped titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO1.67 analogue arising from oxygen vacancies in rutile TiO2) with the plasmon resonance dominated by an interband transition shows strong absorption to build a broadband perfect absorber in the wavelength range from 300 to 2000 nm covering the solar irradiation spectrum completely. The absorptivity of the fabricated array is greater than 90% in the whole spectral range. And the broadband and strong absorption is due to the plasmon hybridization and hot spot generation from near-touching TiO1.67 nanoparticles with different sizes. What is more, the local heating of a TiO1.67 nanoparticle layer is fast and effective. The temperature increases quickly from 30 °C to 80 °C within 200 seconds. This local heating can realize rapid solar-enabled evaporation which can find applications in large-scale distillation and seawater desalination. These findings actually open a pathway for applications of these newly developed plasmonic materials in the energy and environment fields.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Nanotechnology Research Center, School of Materials Science & Engineering, School of Physics & Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, P. R. China.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ng C, Cadusch JJ, Dligatch S, Roberts A, Davis TJ, Mulvaney P, Gómez DE. Hot Carrier Extraction with Plasmonic Broadband Absorbers. ACS NANO 2016; 10:4704-4711. [PMID: 26982625 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b01108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Hot charge carrier extraction from metallic nanostructures is a very promising approach for applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and photodetection. One limitation is that many metallic nanostructures support a single plasmon resonance thus restricting the light-to-charge-carrier activity to a spectral band. Here we demonstrate that a monolayer of plasmonic nanoparticles can be assembled on a multistack layered configuration to achieve broadband, near-unit light absorption, which is spatially localized on the nanoparticle layer. We show that this enhanced light absorbance leads to ∼40-fold increases in the photon-to-electron conversion efficiency by the plasmonic nanostructures. We developed a model that successfully captures the essential physics of the plasmonic hot electron charge generation and separation in these structures. This model also allowed us to establish that efficient hot carrier extraction is limited to spectral regions where (i) the photons have energies higher than the Schottky junctions and (ii) the absorption of light is localized on the metal nanoparticles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Ng
- Manufacturing, CSIRO , Private Bag 33, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
- Australian National Fabrication Facility, Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication , Clayton Victoria 3168, Australia
| | | | - Svetlana Dligatch
- Manufacturing, CSIRO , PO Box 218, Lindfield New South Wales 2070, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Daniel E Gómez
- Manufacturing, CSIRO , Private Bag 33, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
- Australian National Fabrication Facility, Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication , Clayton Victoria 3168, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Zhou L, Tan Y, Ji D, Zhu B, Zhang P, Xu J, Gan Q, Yu Z, Zhu J. Self-assembly of highly efficient, broadband plasmonic absorbers for solar steam generation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1501227. [PMID: 27152335 PMCID: PMC4846456 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 373] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The study of ideal absorbers, which can efficiently absorb light over a broad range of wavelengths, is of fundamental importance, as well as critical for many applications from solar steam generation and thermophotovoltaics to light/thermal detectors. As a result of recent advances in plasmonics, plasmonic absorbers have attracted a lot of attention. However, the performance and scalability of these absorbers, predominantly fabricated by the top-down approach, need to be further improved to enable widespread applications. We report a plasmonic absorber which can enable an average measured absorbance of ~99% across the wavelengths from 400 nm to 10 μm, the most efficient and broadband plasmonic absorber reported to date. The absorber is fabricated through self-assembly of metallic nanoparticles onto a nanoporous template by a one-step deposition process. Because of its efficient light absorption, strong field enhancement, and porous structures, which together enable not only efficient solar absorption but also significant local heating and continuous stream flow, plasmonic absorber-based solar steam generation has over 90% efficiency under solar irradiation of only 4-sun intensity (4 kW m(-2)). The pronounced light absorption effect coupled with the high-throughput self-assembly process could lead toward large-scale manufacturing of other nanophotonic structures and devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhou
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yingling Tan
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Dengxin Ji
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Bin Zhu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Jun Xu
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Qiaoqiang Gan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Zongfu Yu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jia Zhu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
- Corresponding author. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Balci S, Balci O, Kakenov N, Atar FB, Kocabas C. Dynamic tuning of plasmon resonance in the visible using graphene. OPTICS LETTERS 2016; 41:1241-4. [PMID: 26977679 DOI: 10.1364/ol.41.001241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We report active electrical tuning of plasmon resonance of silver nanoprisms (Ag NPs) in the visible spectrum. Ag NPs are placed in close proximity to graphene which leads to additional tunable loss for the plasmon resonance. The ionic gating of graphene modifies its Fermi level from 0.2 to 1 eV, which then affects the absorption of graphene due to Pauli blocking. Plasmon resonance frequency and linewidth of Ag NPs can be reversibly shifted by 20 and 35 meV, respectively. The coupled graphene-Ag NPs system can be classically described by a damped harmonic oscillator model. Atomic layer deposition allows for controlling the graphene-Ag NP separation with atomic-level precision to optimize coupling between them.
Collapse
|
27
|
Zheng L, Polizzi NF, Dave AR, Migliore A, Beratan DN. Where Is the Electronic Oscillator Strength? Mapping Oscillator Strength across Molecular Absorption Spectra. J Phys Chem A 2016; 120:1933-43. [PMID: 26950828 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b00692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The effectiveness of solar energy capture and conversion materials derives from their ability to absorb light and to transform the excitation energy into energy stored in free carriers or chemical bonds. The Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn (TRK) sum rule mandates that the integrated (electronic) oscillator strength of an absorber equals the total number of electrons in the structure. Typical molecular chromophores place only about 1% of their oscillator strength in the UV-vis window, so individual chromophores operate at about 1% of their theoretical limit. We explore the distribution of oscillator strength as a function of excitation energy to understand this circumstance. To this aim, we use familiar independent-electron model Hamiltonians as well as first-principles electronic structure methods. While model Hamiltonians capture the qualitative electronic spectra associated with π electron chromophores, these Hamiltonians mistakenly focus the oscillator strength in the fewest low-energy transitions. Advanced electronic structure methods, in contrast, spread the oscillator strength over a very wide excitation energy range, including transitions to Rydberg and continuum states, consistent with experiment. Our analysis rationalizes the low oscillator strength in the UV-vis spectral region in molecules, a step toward the goal of oscillator strength manipulation and focusing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lianjun Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Biochemistry, and §Department of Physics, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Nicholas F Polizzi
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Biochemistry, and §Department of Physics, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Adarsh R Dave
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Biochemistry, and §Department of Physics, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Agostino Migliore
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Biochemistry, and §Department of Physics, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - David N Beratan
- Department of Chemistry, ‡Department of Biochemistry, and §Department of Physics, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Park J, Kang JH, Liu X, Brongersma ML. Electrically Tunable Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) Metafilm Absorbers. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15754. [PMID: 26549615 PMCID: PMC4637893 DOI: 10.1038/srep15754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancing and spectrally controlling light absorption is of great practical and fundamental importance. In optoelectronic devices consisting of layered semiconductors and metals, absorption has traditionally been manipulated with the help of Fabry-Pérot resonances. Even further control over the spectral light absorption properties of thin films has been achieved by patterning them into dense arrays of subwavelength resonant structures to form metafilms. As the next logical step, we demonstrate electrical control over light absorption in metafilms constructed from dense arrays of actively tunable plasmonic cavities. This control is achieved by embedding indium tin oxide (ITO) into these cavities. ITO affords significant tuning of its optical properties by means of electrically-induced carrier depletion and accumulation. We demonstrate that particularly large changes in the reflectance from such metafilms (up to 15% P) can be achieved by operating the ITO in the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) frequency regime where its electrical permittivity changes sign from negative to positive values.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junghyun Park
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Ju-Hyung Kang
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Xiaoge Liu
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Mark L Brongersma
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Robatjazi H, Bahauddin SM, Doiron C, Thomann I. Direct Plasmon-Driven Photoelectrocatalysis. NANO LETTERS 2015; 15:6155-61. [PMID: 26243130 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b02453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Harnessing the energy from hot charge carriers is an emerging research area with the potential to improve energy conversion technologies.1-3 Here we present a novel plasmonic photoelectrode architecture carefully designed to drive photocatalytic reactions by efficient, nonradiative plasmon decay into hot carriers. In contrast to past work, our architecture does not utilize a Schottky junction, the commonly used building block to collect hot carriers. Instead, we observed large photocurrents from a Schottky-free junction due to direct hot electron injection from plasmonic gold nanoparticles into the reactant species upon plasmon decay. The key ingredients of our approach are (i) an architecture for increased light absorption inspired by optical impedance matching concepts,4 (ii) carrier separation by a selective transport layer, and (iii) efficient hot-carrier generation and injection from small plasmonic Au nanoparticles to adsorbed water molecules. We also investigated the quantum efficiency of hot electron injection for different particle diameters to elucidate potential quantum effects while keeping the plasmon resonance frequency unchanged. Interestingly, our studies did not reveal differences in the hot-electron generation and injection efficiencies for the investigated particle dimensions and plasmon resonances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Robatjazi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, §Department of Chemistry, ∥Laboratory for Nanophotonics, and ⊥Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Shah Mohammad Bahauddin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, §Department of Chemistry, ∥Laboratory for Nanophotonics, and ⊥Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Chloe Doiron
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, §Department of Chemistry, ∥Laboratory for Nanophotonics, and ⊥Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Isabell Thomann
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, §Department of Chemistry, ∥Laboratory for Nanophotonics, and ⊥Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Palmstrom AF, Santra PK, Bent SF. Atomic layer deposition in nanostructured photovoltaics: tuning optical, electronic and surface properties. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:12266-12283. [PMID: 26147328 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02080h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Nanostructured materials offer key advantages for third-generation photovoltaics, such as the ability to achieve high optical absorption together with enhanced charge carrier collection using low cost components. However, the extensive interfacial areas in nanostructured photovoltaic devices can cause high recombination rates and a high density of surface electronic states. In this feature article, we provide a brief review of some nanostructured photovoltaic technologies including dye-sensitized, quantum dot sensitized and colloidal quantum dot solar cells. We then introduce the technique of atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is a vapor phase deposition method using a sequence of self-limiting surface reaction steps to grow thin, uniform and conformal films. We discuss how ALD has established itself as a promising tool for addressing different aspects of nanostructured photovoltaics. Examples include the use of ALD to synthesize absorber materials for both quantum dot and plasmonic solar cells, to grow barrier layers for dye and quantum dot sensitized solar cells, and to infiltrate coatings into colloidal quantum dot solar cell to improve charge carrier mobilities as well as stability. We also provide an example of monolayer surface modification in which adsorbed ligand molecules on quantum dots are used to tune the band structure of colloidal quantum dot solar cells for improved charge collection. Finally, we comment on the present challenges and future outlook of the use of ALD for nanostructured photovoltaics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Axel F Palmstrom
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Kim SJ, Fan P, Kang JH, Brongersma ML. Creating semiconductor metafilms with designer absorption spectra. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7591. [PMID: 26184335 PMCID: PMC4518292 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The optical properties of semiconductors are typically considered intrinsic and fixed. Here we leverage the rapid developments in the field of optical metamaterials to create ultrathin semiconductor metafilms with designer absorption spectra. We show how such metafilms can be constructed by placing one or more types of high-index semiconductor antennas into a dense array with subwavelength spacings. It is argued that the large absorption cross-section of semiconductor antennas and their weak near-field coupling open a unique opportunity to create strongly absorbing metafilms whose spectral absorption properties directly reflect those of the individual antennas. Using experiments and simulations, we demonstrate that near-unity absorption at one or more target wavelengths of interest can be achieved in a sub-50-nm-thick metafilm using judiciously sized and spaced Ge nanobeams. The ability to create semiconductor metafilms with custom absorption spectra opens up new design strategies for planar optoelectronic devices and solar cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soo Jin Kim
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, USA
| | - Pengyu Fan
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, USA
| | - Ju-Hyung Kang
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, USA
| | - Mark L Brongersma
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, 476 Lomita Mall, Stanford, California 94305-4045, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Liu GQ, Yu MD, Liu ZQ, Liu XS, Huang S, Pan PP, Wang Y, Liu ML, Gu G. One-process fabrication of metal hierarchical nanostructures with rich nanogaps for highly-sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2015; 26:185702. [PMID: 25872454 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/26/18/185702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
One-process fabrication of highly active and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via ion beam deposition is reported. The fabricated metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) hierarchical nanostructure possesses rich nanogaps and a tunable resonant cavity. Raman scattering signals of analytes are dramatically strengthened due to the strong near-field coupling of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and the strong interaction of LSPRs of metal NPs with surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on the underlying metal film by crossing over the dielectric spacer. The maximum Raman enhancement for the highest Raman peak at 1650 cm(-1) is 13.5 times greater than that of a single metal nanoparticle (NP) array. Moreover, the SERS activity can be efficiently tailored by varying the size and number of voids between adjacent metal NPs and the thickness of the dielectric spacer. These findings may broaden the scope of SERS applications of MDM hierarchical nanostructures in biomedical and analytical chemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gui-qiang Liu
- Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Sensors, College of Physics and Communication Electronics, Jiangxi Normal University & Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic and Telecommunication of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang 330022, People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Park J, Kim SJ, Brongersma ML. Condition for unity absorption in an ultrathin and highly lossy film in a Gires-Tournois interferometer configuration. OPTICS LETTERS 2015; 40:1960-1963. [PMID: 25927758 DOI: 10.1364/ol.40.001960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We present a condition for unity absorption for a Gires-Tournois interferometer configuration constructed from an ultrathin and highly lossy film on top of metallic mirror. From the impedance matching condition in the transmission line theory, we identify a solution space for the required complex refractive index of the lossy film in various film thickness and dielectric constants of the metallic mirror. It is shown that strong absorption requires the imaginary part of the refractive index of the ultrathin lossy film be larger than 0.64, and the physical origin of this condition is elucidated. The proposed method is useful in identifying candidate semiconductor materials that can be used as the lossy film in a unity-absorption Gires-Tournois interferometer configuration and designing the thickness of this film to maximize absorption.
Collapse
|
34
|
Liu Z, Liu X, Huang S, Pan P, Chen J, Liu G, Gu G. Automatically acquired broadband plasmonic-metamaterial black absorber during the metallic film-formation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:4962-8. [PMID: 25679790 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Broadband electromagnetic wave absorbers are highly desirable in numerous applications such as solar-energy harvesting, thermo-photovoltaics, and photon detection. The aim to efficiently achieve ultrathin broadband absorbers with high-yield and low-cost fabrication process has long been pursued. Here, we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a unique broadband plasmonic-metamaterial absorber by utilizing a sub-10 nm meta-surface film structure to replace the precisely designed metamaterial crystal in the common metal-dielectric-metal absorbers. The unique ultrathin meta-surface can be automatically obtained during the metal film formation process. Spectral bandwidth with absorbance above 80% is up to 396 nm, where the full absorption width at half-maximum is about 92%. The average value of absorbance across the whole spectral range of 370-880 nm reaches 83%. These super absorption properties can be attributed to the particle plasmon resonances and plasmon near-field coupling by the automatically formed metallic nanoparticles as well as the plasmon polaritons of the metal film with the induced plasmonic magnetic resonances occurring between the top meta-surface and the bottom metal mirror. This method is quite simple, cost-effective for large-area fabrication, and compatible with current industrial methods for microelectro-mechanical systems, which makes it an outstanding candidate for advanced high-efficiency absorber materials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengqi Liu
- Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Sensors, College of Physics and Communication Electronics, Provincial Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic and Telecommunication, Jiangxi Normal University , Nanchang 330022, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Single-GaSb-nanowire-based room temperature photodetectors with broad spectral response. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-014-0687-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
36
|
Zhang Y, Zhang K, Zhang T, Sun Y, Chen X, Dai N. Distinguishing plasmonic absorption modes by virtue of inversed architectures with tunable atomic-layer-deposited spacer layer. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2014; 25:504004. [PMID: 25426819 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/25/50/504004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrated the distinguishing between plasmonic absorption modes by exploiting an inversed architecture with tunable atomic-layer-deposited dielectric spacer layer. The dielectric spacer layer was manipulated between the bottom metal-nanoparticle monolayer and the upper metal film to inspect the contributions of metal nanoparticles and dielectric film in a step-by-step manner. The experimental and simulated differences between the two peak absorption positions (Δf) and between the corresponding half width at half maxima (Δw) confirmed the evolutions of gap plasmon and interference-enhanced local surface plasmon resonance absorption modes in the plasmonic metamaterial absorbers (PMAs), which were useful for understanding the underlying mechanism of amorphous PMAs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Mirshafieyan SS, Guo J. Silicon colors: spectral selective perfect light absorption in single layer silicon films on aluminum surface and its thermal tunability. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:31545-31554. [PMID: 25607104 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.031545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Using two most abundant materials in nature: silicon and aluminum, spectral selective perfect light absorption in single layer silicon films on aluminum surface is demonstrated. Perfect light absorption is achieved due to the critical coupling of incident optical wave to the second order resonance mode of the optical cavity made of a thin silicon film on aluminum surface. Spectral selective perfect light absorption results in different optical colors corresponding to different thicknesses of silicon films. The device colors do not change when viewing from large angles with respect to the surface normal. Perfect absorption wavelength can be tuned over a wide wavelength range over 70 nm by thermal annealing. This new technology, which is low cost and compatible with silicon technology platform, paves the way for many applications such as optical color filters and wavelength selective photodetectors.
Collapse
|
38
|
Sharma M, Pudasaini PR, Ruiz-Zepeda F, Vinogradova E, Ayon AA. Plasmonic effects of au/ag bimetallic multispiked nanoparticles for photovoltaic applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:15472-15479. [PMID: 25137194 DOI: 10.1021/am5040939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the use of plasmons, that is, free electron oscillations in conductors, to boost the performance of both organic and inorganic thin film solar cells. This has been driven by the possibility of employing thin active layers in solar cells in order to reduce materials costs, and is enabled by significant advances in fabrication technology. The ability of surface plasmons in metallic nanostructures to guide and confine light in the nanometer scale has opened up new design possibilities for solar cell devices. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of highly monodisperse, reasonably stable, multipode Au/Ag bimetallic nanostructures using an inorganic additive as a ligand for photovoltaic applications. A promising surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect has been observed for the synthesized bimetallic Au/Ag multispiked nanoparticles, which compare favorably well with their Au and Ag spherical nanoparticle counterparts. The synthesized plasmonic nanostructures were incorporated on the rear surface of an ultrathin planar c-silicon/organic polymer hybrid solar cell, and the overall effect on photovoltaic performance was investigated. A promising enhancement in solar cell performance parameters, including both the open circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current density (JSC), has been observed by employing the aforementioned bimetallic multispiked nanoparticles on the rear surface of solar cell devices. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) value as high as 7.70% has been measured in a hybrid device with Au/Ag multispiked nanoparticles on the rear surface of an ultrathin, crystalline silicon (c-Si) membrane (∼ 12 μm). This value compares well to the measured PCE value of 6.72% for a similar device without nanoparticles. The experimental observations support the hope for a sizable PCE increase, due to plasmon effects, in thin-film, c-Si solar cells in the near future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manisha Sharma
- Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Butun S, Aydin K. Structurally tunable resonant absorption bands in ultrathin broadband plasmonic absorbers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2014; 22:19457-19468. [PMID: 25321029 DOI: 10.1364/oe.22.019457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Light absorption is a fundamental optical process playing significantly important role in wide variety of applications ranging from photovoltaics to photothermal therapy. Semiconductors have well-defined absorption bands with low-energy edge dictated by the band gap energy, therefore it is rather challenging to tune the absorption bandwidth of semiconductors. However, resonant absorbers based on plasmonic nanostructures and optical metamaterials emerged as alternative light absorbers due to spectrally selective absorption bands resulting from optical resonances. Recently, a broadband plasmonic absorber design was introduced by Aydin et al. with a reasonably high broadband absorption. Based on that design, here, structurally tunable, broadband absorbers with improved performance are demonstrated. This broadband absorber has a total thickness of 190 nm with 80% average measured absorption (90% simulated absorption) over the entire visible spectrum (400 - 700 nm). Moreover, the effect of the metal and the oxide thicknesses on the absorption spectra are investigated and results indicate that the shorter and the longer band-edge of broadband absorption can be structurally tuned with the metal and the oxide thicknesses, as well as with the resonator size. Detailed numerical simulations shed light on the type of optical resonances that contribute to the broadband absorption response and provide a design guideline for realizing plasmonic absorbers with structurally tunable bandwidths.
Collapse
|
40
|
Choi D, Shin CK, Yoon D, Chung DS, Jin YW, Lee LP. Plasmonic optical interference. NANO LETTERS 2014; 14:3374-3381. [PMID: 24807869 DOI: 10.1021/nl5008823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding optical interference is of great importance in fundamental and analytical optical design for next-generation personal, industrial, and military applications. So far, various researches have been performed for optical interference phenomena, but there have been no reports on plasmonic optical interference. Here, we report that optical interference could be effectively coupled with surface plasmons, resulting in enhanced optical absorption. We prepared a three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic nanostructure that consists of a plasmonic layer at the top, a nanoporous dielectric layer at the center, and a mirror layer at the bottom. The plasmonic layer mediates strong plasmonic absorption when the constructive interference pattern is matched with the plasmonic component. By tailoring the thickness of the dielectric layer, the strong plasmonic absorption can facilely be controlled and covers the full visible range. The plasmonic interference in the 3D nanostructure thus creates brilliant structural colors. We develop a design equation to determine the thickness of the dielectric layer in a 3D plasmonic nanostructure that could create the maximum absorption at a given wavelength. It is further demonstrated that the 3D plasmonic nanostructure can be realized on a flexible substrate. Our 3D plasmonic nanostructures will have a huge impact on the fields of optoelectronic systems, biochemical optical sensors, and spectral imaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dukhyun Choi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Kyung Hee University , Yongin, 446-701, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Zhang Y, Wei T, Dong W, Zhang K, Sun Y, Chen X, Dai N. Vapor-deposited amorphous metamaterials as visible near-perfect absorbers with random non-prefabricated metal nanoparticles. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4850. [PMID: 24810434 PMCID: PMC4014980 DOI: 10.1038/srep04850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial order or periodicity is usually required and constructed with tens of nanometers in the feature size, which makes it difficult to process the near-perfect metamaterial absorbers (PMAs) working in the visible range in large-area and mass-production scale. Although many established technologies and theoretical modeling methods used for order-based metamaterials, aperiodic or disordered structures have been gradually recognized to achieve similar functionalities for which the ordered structures are overwhelmingly used. Here, we demonstrated the vapor-deposited 'amorphous' metamaterials as controlled-reflectance surfaces and tunable PMAs without the use of the lithographically ordered arrays, the prefabricated colloidal metal nanoparticles (MNPs) or the multilayer of nanoparticles. The flexible construction, the control of the monolayer of MNPs and the atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) dielectric spacer layer provide more insight for understanding the controlled-reflectance surfaces. Such processes have a few key advantages of CMOS-compatible simple processing, low cost and large-area plating, allowing the PMAs to be flexibly constructed in mass-production scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Tiaoxing Wei
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Wenjing Dong
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Kenan Zhang
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Yan Sun
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Xin Chen
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Ning Dai
- National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Jin C, Murphy JN, Harris KD, Buriak JM. Deconvoluting the mechanism of microwave annealing of block copolymer thin films. ACS NANO 2014; 8:3979-3991. [PMID: 24655292 DOI: 10.1021/nn5009098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of block copolymer (BCP) thin films is a versatile method for producing periodic nanoscale patterns with a variety of shapes. The key to attaining a desired pattern or structure is the annealing step undertaken to facilitate the reorganization of nanoscale phase-segregated domains of the BCP on a surface. Annealing BCPs on silicon substrates using a microwave oven has been shown to be very fast (seconds to minutes), both with and without contributions from solvent vapor. The mechanism of the microwave annealing process remains, however, unclear. This work endeavors to uncover the key steps that take place during microwave annealing, which enable the self-assembly process to proceed. Through the use of in situ temperature monitoring with a fiber optic temperature probe in direct contact with the sample, we have demonstrated that the silicon substrate on which the BCP film is cast is the dominant source of heating if the doping of the silicon wafer is sufficiently low. Surface temperatures as high as 240 °C are reached in under 1 min for lightly doped, high resistivity silicon wafers (n- or p-type). The influence of doping, sample size, and BCP composition was analyzed to rule out other possible mechanisms. In situ temperature monitoring of various polymer samples (PS, P2VP, PMMA, and the BCPs used here) showed that the polymers do not heat to any significant extent on their own with microwave irradiation of this frequency (2.45 GHz) and power (∼600 W). It was demonstrated that BCP annealing can be effectively carried out in 60 s on non-microwave-responsive substrates, such as highly doped silicon, indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass, glass, and Kapton, by placing a piece of high resistivity silicon wafer in contact with the sample-in this configuration, the silicon wafer is termed the heating element. Annealing and self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) and polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) BCPs into horizontal cylinder structures were shown to take place in under 1 min, using a silicon wafer heating element, in a household microwave oven. Defect densities were calculated and were shown to decrease with higher maximum obtained temperatures. Conflicting results in the literature regarding BCP annealing with microwave are explained in light of the results obtained in this study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cong Jin
- National Institute for Nanotechnology , 11421 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Wang H, O'Dea K, Wang L. Selective absorption of visible light in film-coupled nanoparticles by exciting magnetic resonance. OPTICS LETTERS 2014; 39:1457-1460. [PMID: 24690812 DOI: 10.1364/ol.39.001457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We numerically demonstrate selective absorption of visible light in film-coupled nanoparticle metamaterials by excitation of magnetic resonance. The physical mechanism of magnetic resonance is elucidated with the help of electromagnetic field distribution. Resonance wavelengths are shown to be strongly dependent on geometric parameters. Representative inductor-capacitor models are employed to further confirm the underlying mechanism and explain the unique behaviors of magnetic resonance in film-coupled nanoparticle metamaterials.
Collapse
|
44
|
Wang H, Wang L. Perfect selective metamaterial solar absorbers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21 Suppl 6:A1078-93. [PMID: 24514927 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.0a1078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we numerically investigate the radiative properties of metamaterial nanostructures made of two-dimensional tungsten gratings on a thin dielectric spacer and an opaque tungsten film from UV to mid-infrared region as potential selective solar absorbers. The metamaterial absorber with single-sized tungsten patches exhibits high absorptance in the visible and near-infrared region due to several mechanisms such as surface plasmon polaritons, magnetic polaritons, and intrinsic bandgap absorption of tungsten. Geometric effects on the resonance wavelengths and the absorptance spectra are studied, and the physical mechanisms are elucidated in detail. The absorptance could be further enhanced in a broader spectral range with double-sized metamaterial absorbers. The total solar absorptance of the optimized metamaterial absorbers at normal incidence could be more than 88%, while the total emittance is less than 3% at 100°C, resulting in total photon-to-heat conversion efficiency of 86% without any optical concentration. Moreover, the metamaterial solar absorbers exhibit quasi-diffuse behaviors as well as polarization independence. The results here will facilitate the design of novel highly efficient solar absorbers to enhance the performance of various solar energy conversion systems.
Collapse
|