Metal-glass nanocomposites through nanoengineering to application.

许多世纪以来，金属纳米颗粒的存在是显而易见的，因为与它们相关的不寻常的颜色效果。许多中世纪教堂窗户的红色和黄色源于嵌入窗户玻璃的银、金和铜纳米颗粒。在古代使用金纳米粒子的第一个证据可以追溯到公元4世纪(Lycurgus杯)。这一过程的物理过程一直是个谜，直到19世纪著名物理学家迈克尔·法拉第发现，这种效应是由于一种新型的光学吸收在尺寸大大小于光波长的金属粒子中产生的。金属颗粒的大小在一到几百纳米之间，是世界各地密集研究的对象。这是因为与块状金属相比，它们在光学性质上表现出了令人着迷的差异。当金属纳米颗粒小于光的波长时，从其反射的光被光散射所取代，光散射在纳米颗粒中集体电子激发的共振频率处特别强烈。这些振荡称为粒子等离激元或表面等离激元共振。对于贵金属和碱金属，其中传导电子具有足够的类自由电子，集体激发在光学散射和吸收光谱中表现为明显的共振效应。纳米技术的最新进展使制造人造纳米结构复合材料成为可能，其光学性能由其结构决定，而不是由其成分的特性决定。这些光学性质明显不同于传统复合材料的光学性质。这种纳米复合材料通常被称为超材料。制造用于光子学应用的超材料的最成熟的方法是通过工程大量重复的亚微米图案的光学响应，使用严格的光栅理论来描述给定图案的光学性质，这些图案由金属薄膜平版形成。在这里，我建议开发超材料--本着这个术语的原始含义--基于纳米结构复合材料，并由于包含了人工植入的不均匀而显示出特殊的性能。这一概念的基础是定制人造材料的性质，并为其提供新的功能，这些人造材料是通过可控地在玻璃基质中形成金属纳米颗粒而产生的，即所谓的金属-玻璃纳米复合材料(MGNs)。我将通过开发图案化MGNs的一般功能，系统地研究开发超材料所需的全部参数。这些人造纳米材料将利用新的制造技术的组合进行详细的设计和研究，并通过使用短和超短激光脉冲来修改/定制它们的光学特性。所开发的技术不仅将通过光学放大、开关和偏振控制在光学和光学工业中获得广泛的应用，而且在微电子和光电子领域也将得到广泛的应用-例如，用于光学计算的极小规模的光学和电子部件的集成。鉴于这些材料的广泛应用潜力，将有可能在几个关键的科学和技术领域优化成果并产生具有国际竞争力的产出。一些制造商和行业最终将从这项工作中受益，例如计算机芯片行业、用于安全应用的光学数据存储设备制造商、光学传感设备、显示技术、医疗保健设备以及当代珠宝艺术家/制造商。我相信，拟议的计划将解决这一领域的关键问题，并将有助于英国在这一研究领域的领先地位。

For many centuries the presence of metal nanoparticles has been evident because of the unusual colour effects associated with them. The red and yellow colours of many medieval church windows originated from silver, gold and copper nanoparticles embedded in the window glass. The first evidence of using gold nanoparticles in antiquity dates back to the 4th century AD (The Lycurgus Cup). The physics of the processes remained a mystery until Michael Faraday, the well-known 19th century physicist, discovered that this effect is due to a new type of optical absorption in metal particles with dimensions substantially less than the wavelength of light. Metal particles which have sizes of the order of one to several hundreds of nanometres, are the subject of intensive research efforts across the world. This is due to the fascinating differences in the optical properties they exhibit compared to bulk metals. When a metal nanoparticle is smaller than the wavelength of light, the light reflected from it is replaced by light scattering, which is particularly strong at the resonance frequencies of collective electron excitations in the nanoparticle. These oscillations are known as particle plasmons or surface plasmon resonances. For noble and alkali metals, where the conduction electrons are sufficiently free-electron-like, the collective excitations show themselves as pronounced resonance effects in optical scattering and absorption spectra. Recent advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to create artificial nanostructured composite materials whose optical properties are determined by their structure, rather than by the characteristics of their constituents. These optical properties are distinctly different from those of conventional composites. Such nanocomposites are often referred to as metamaterials. The most established way to manufacture metamaterials for photonics applications is by engineering the optical response of large groups of repeated submicron patterns, lithographically formed from metal films, using rigorous grating theory for the description of the optical properties of a given pattern. Here, I propose the development of metamaterials that - in the spirit of the original meaning of this term - are based on nanostructured composite materials and exhibit exceptional properties due to the inclusion of artificially implanted inhomogeneities. This concept is based on tailoring the properties of, and providing new functionalities to, artificial materials created by controllable formation of metal nanoparticles in glass matrices; so-called metal-glass nanocomposites (MGNs).I will systematically investigate the entire range of parameters necessary to develop metamaterials by exploiting the generic functionalities of patterned MGNs. These artificial nanomaterials will be designed and investigated in detail utilising a combination of a novel fabrication techniques, and by modifying/tailoring their optical properties with short and ultra-short laser pulses. The technology developed will find a wide range of applications not only in optics and optical industries via optical amplifying, switching and polarisation control, but also in micro- and optoelectronics - e.g. the integration of optical and electronic components at extremely small scales for optical computing. Given the broad application potential for these materials it would be possible to optimise the outcomes and generate internationally competitive output in several key areas of science and technology. A number of manufacturers and industries will ultimately benefit from the work - e.g. computer chip industries, manufacturers of optical data storage devices for security applications, optical sensing devices, display technology, healthcare devices and artists/manufacturers of contemporary jewellery. I believe that the proposed programme will address key problems in this field and will contribute to the UK's leading position in this area of research.