Structural Effects on the Plasmonic and Phononic Properties of Low Dimension Nanostructures

该计划旨在了解纳米材料中原子结构与等离子体/声子特性之间的关系，这些材料在光控制（等离子体），热控制和热管理（声子）方面具有新技术的潜力。提出的研究计划包括两个主要目标：i)发现原子排列在一维（1D）原子大小的金属结构的等离子体性质中的作用。特别是，分析原子排列对局部约束和表面等离子体阻尼的影响，直至原子水平。这项工作将通过研究一维金纳米线和由二维层材料（1T-MoS2, NbS2）制成的带来完成。这些知识有望为改进等离子体催化和高效光子学应用的发展做出贡献。ii)发现尺寸，形状，原子尺度特征（边缘，缺陷，界面）在纳米结构（二聚体和界面）声子特性中的作用，以加深我们对新型材料中光声子耦合和纳米尺度传热的理解。该研究将重点分析材料的体和表面声子特性，这些材料在开发低损耗太赫兹纳米光子学（4H-SiC, h-BN, alfa-MoO3）以及热控制和热管理（砷化硼，C-60晶体）方面表现出令人信服的特性。我们期望确定粒子间隙中散热的光谱响应，确定振动模式的空间分布，分析最大化纳米级热辐射的形状尺寸效应，并确定晶体管界面的散热通道。

This program aims at understanding the relationship between atomic structure and plasmon/phonon properties in nanoscale materials which exhibit potential for novel technologies in light control (plasmonics), and heat control and thermal management (phononics). The proposed research program includes 2 main objectives: i) To discover the role of the atomic arrangement in the plasmonic properties of one-dimension (1D) atom-sized metal structures. In particular, to analyze the effects of the atomic arrangement on the local confinement and surface plasmon damping, down to the atom level. This work will be done through investigations of 1D gold nanowires, and ribbons fabricated from 2D layer materials (1T-MoS2, NbS2). The knowledge is expected to contribute to the development of improved plasmon-based catalysis and efficient photonics applications. ii) To discover the role of size, shape, atom-scale features (edges, defects, interfaces) in the phonon properties of nanostructures (dimers and interfaces) to deepen our understanding of light-phonon coupling and nanoscale heat transfer in novel materials. The study will be focused on the analysis of bulk and surface phonon properties of materials which exhibit compelling properties for development of low-loss terahertz nanophotonics (4H-SiC, h-BN, alfa-MoO3), and for heat control and thermal management (Boron arsenide, C-60 crystals). We expect to identify the spectral response for heat dissipation in gap between particles, determine the spatial distribution of the vibrational modes, analyze the shape-size effects which maximize nanoscale thermal emission, and determine channels for heat dissipation at interfaces in transistors. The research will use instruments at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy that includes state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopes, allowing sub-Angstrom imaging and spectroscopy down to the infrared range. These instruments will provide new information on structure of materials (via imaging) and plasmon/phonon response (via spectroscopy) at an unprecedented spatial and energy resolution. The knowledge derived by this program will lead to practical applications as development of efficient infrared detectors and solid-state transistors in the semiconductor industry, and ultimately trigger the growth/establishment of industries in Canada. The expertise of the applicant in the research subject is demonstrated by sustained international recognition with several invited talks at international conferences, scientific awards, and publications in top journals as a leading author. Over the next 5 years, this program will support a minimum of 3 PhD students and the significant use of advanced instrumentation, which have high maintenance costs, but are currently competitive with the best in the world. Under the umbrella of this program, the students are expected contribute to the establishment of new research areas in Canada, generating knowledge beyond the current scenario.