The overall goal is to investigate and develop a radically new generation of nanostructured plasmonic materials, created for infrared and optical frequencies, based on the use of nano-chemistry and self-assembly of soft materials as an alternative to standard lithography or multi-beam holography. This fabricating and assembling route will be highly innovative by being tightly focused on the gain-plasmon interplay. In particular, we will demonstrate that gain-plasmon dynamics in metallo-dielectric nanostructures play a specific role to create non-traditional materials spanning from loss compensated optical metamaterials to plasmon nanolasers. Extraordinary plasmonic properties arise by an atomic control and positioning of single nano-structured elements (fluorophores and plasmonic nanoparticles) via a multi-pronged bottom-up approach that will push research frontiers in opto-plasmonic applications.
The idea is to exploit the coherent interplay between Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances (LSPR) in plasmonic nanoelements and excitons in fluorophores to realize reconfigurable plasmon nanolasers, having a hyperfine control of plasmonic resonances. LSPR coupled with excitons dominate modes selection mechanisms as well as Resonant Energy Transfer (RET) processes between spatially separated chromophores and plasmonic elements.
References: (Among others see Publication list)
- “Ultrafast Transient Optical Loss Dynamics in Exciton–plasmon Nano-Assemblies.” NANOSCALE 9 (19): 6558–66.
- “Dye embedded and nanopatterned hyperbolic metamaterials for spontaneous emission rate enhancement” J. OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA B 33, 6 (2016)
- “Plasmon-Exciton Resonant Energy Transfer: Across Scales Hybrid Systems” JOURNAL OF NANOMATERIALS (2016) 4819040, DOI: 10.1155/2016/4819040
- Broadband Optical Transparency Via Exciton-Plasmon Coupling In Plexcitonic Nanocomposite Polymer Films OPTICS EXPRESS 24 14632 (2016) DOI:10.1364/OE.24.014632
- G. Strangi et al : Book Chapter “Plasmon-Gain Interplay in Optical Metastructures” in Active Plasmonic Nanomaterials book edited by L. De Sio PAN STANFORD PUBLISHING, Singapore (2015)
- “Large spontaneous emission rate enhancement in grating coupled hyperbolic metamaterials”, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (NPG) 4, 6340 (2014)