During the project, Al nanostructures will be synthesized and investigated. The Al nanoparticles are characterized by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR); which can have a wide range of applications: sensors, medicine, nonlinear optics, solar cells, light emitting devices, and so on. Unlike other plasmonic metals (Ag, Au, Cu); LSPR of Al-goes far to the UV range (may reach 100 nm). Due to these properties, Al nanostructures can be used in a spectral range in which other plasmonic metals cannot be employed. For Al, one of the most common element on Earth, production costs are expected to be significantly lower than other plasmonic metals. During the post-doctoral internship, the synthesis of these nanoparticles will be performed by plasma, lithographic, chemical methods (task I) and systematic studies of their optical properties will be done (task II). Reactive magnetron deposition will be used for nanoparticle synthesis, and electro-optic properties and plasmon relaxation studies will be performed using electro-optical methods. The project will mainly focus on the systematic studies of ultrafast relaxation processes of Al nanoparticles, which determine the speed of potential sensors and their application areas. Using the transient differential absorption spectrometer, it is planned to investigate in detail the LSPR relaxation processes, to link plasmonic properties of Al nanoparticles with the used technologies, and to evaluate potential applications (bio-sensors, solar cells).
Project funding:
This research project is funded by the European Social Fund according to the 2014–2020 Operational Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments, under measure’s No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 activity “Promotion of postdoctoral fellowships studies”.
Project results:
Scientific articles and participation in the conferences.
Period of project implementation: 2017-11-28 - 2019-11-27
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
