WIDE ANALYSIS OF LOW-ENERGY PLASMONICALLY-POWERED CASCADED DYNAMICS IN LIQUIDS

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Nontechnical description: Surface plasmons are collective oscillations of electrons at the interface between a metal and an insulator. In the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, metal nanomaterials are well-known to absorb and concentrate light through plasmonic effects. The energy from surface plasmons has been shown to power a variety of novel chemical, thermal, electrical and mechanical phenomena. This project addresses recent observations of plasmonic interactions in liquid-dispersed metal nanoparticles onto which weak magnetic fields are applied. Results from this study explain how the energy of plasmons is transferred to their surrounding environment, and thus relate to profound environmental, biological, and physiological effects. Interdisciplinary and data-intensive research activities provide versatile technical training for future science professionals. The principal investigator is also actively engaged in teaching in New York City public high school College Now! programs, mentoring high school students who have successfully advanced to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and organizing a new discussion-centered Research Conference in Hong Kong, with the aim of accelerating and disseminating knowledge of plasmon energy transfer.Technical description: The project is centered on understanding the longer-lived light-induced changes in plasmonically-absorbing nanofluids, particularly those that result from the simultaneous illumination of low-intensity light and static magnetic fields. The formation of vapor around nanoparticles is studied, and the dynamics of the vapor-encased nanoparticles are imaged, enabling transformative analytical models of the multi-phase hydrodynamics. The dovetailed study of the near-field and far-field behaviors is essential for designing future optical probes and interpreting the optical response of nanofluids. The principal investigator also characterizes the novel thermophoretic, thermoelectric, and electrokinetic behavior of bulk nanofluids by analyzing the near-field behavior of plasmonic 2D substrates surrounded by liquids. The wide analysis and approach may pinpoint elusive and anomalous behaviors associated with plasmons to explain the observed critical nucleation of dissolved gasses in liquids on plasmonic surfaces, which is currently not understood.