Nanostructured Metal/Polymer Composites for Plasmon-Enhanced Emission and Amplification of Light

技术支持：未来的光电和等离子体器件将依赖于定制工程复合材料和纳米结构内光场的产生和控制。特别是，在纳米材料中控制光的产生和放大对于实现下一代紧凑的集成纳米光子器件至关重要。该研究计划的重点是分散工程复合金属/聚合物纳米结构的制造和表征，用于实际应用，如新型发光体和纳米等离子体增强有机激光器。研究材料是实现提高效率的重要一步，相干光发射器也是成本效益，可加工和可扩展的。这个研究项目将沿着沿着两个截然不同的方向进行。第一个努力将解决复合平面结构，包括半导体有机聚合物和分形银膜与可调色散特性的光发射特性。第二个任务将集中在有机发光体相干耦合到有序的金属介观结构，旨在表现出等离子体诱导的透明度？等离子体类似于电磁感应透明。这两项任务都将解决空间光发射特性，发射增强因子及其与集成金属纳米结构，发射场光谱和等离子体增强激光作用的相关性。该奖项的结果将导致（1）增强和控制金属/聚合物纳米复合材料中光发射的新方法，以及实现所需功能的建模工具和设计指南。(2)新型高效固态发光材料的实用架构。非技术：纳米结构金属电介质复合材料具有极大影响现代光子学的潜力，可应用于先进的传感、成像和新型发光器件。这项研究工作将对这些未来技术的发展产生重大影响。参加这项研究的学生将获得在活性等离子体材料领域的专业知识。该研究是跨学科的性质，让学生获得材料科学以及经典和量子光学的熟练程度，并发展实验和建模技能。该项目的一个重要目标是通过让各级大学生参与研究和多学科科学工作，在新兴的等离子体领域培养学生。在本科阶段，目的是通过提供各种研究和指导机会来扩大学习途径。在研究生阶段，该项目涉及学生参与研究，以及参与各种专业发展活动。后者使追求科学知识和兴趣，在不太传统的方式，如参加部门资助的学生提案比赛，或非正式的科学教育和领导的机会。此外，PI对社区外展和参与协调学术活动的承诺有助于进一步将科学研究与不断变化的社会科学教育需求相结合。

Technical: Future opto-electronic and plasmonic devices will rely on generation and control of light-fields within custom-engineered composite materials and nanostructures. In particular, controlled generation and amplification of light in nanoscale materials is crucial for achieving next generation compact, integratednanophotonic devices. The research program focuses on the fabrication and characterization of dispersion engineered composite metal/polymer nanostructures for practical applications such as novel light emitters and nanoscale plasmon-enhanced organic lasers. The research materials constitute an important step towards achieving increased efficiency, coherent light emitters that are also cost-efficient, processable and scalable. The research project will proceed along two distinct directions. The first effort will address light emission characteristics in composite planar structures comprising semiconducting organic polymers and fractal silver films with tunable dispersive properties. The second task will focus on organic light emitters coherently coupled to ordered metallic meso-structures designed to exhibit a plasmon-induced transparency ? the plasmonic analog to electromagnetically induced transparency. Both tasks will address spatial light emission characteristics, emission enhancement factors and their correlation with the integrated metal nanostructures, spectra of the emitted fields and plasmon-enhanced laser action. Results of this award will lead to (1) new methods for enhancing and controlling light emission in metal/polymer nanocomposites, together with modeling tools and design guidelines for achieving the desired functionalities. (2) New practical architectures for efficient solid state light emitting materials.Non Technical: Nanostructured metallodielectric composite materials hold the potential for greatly impacting modern photonics, with applications to advanced sensing, imaging and novel light emitting devices. The research work will have significant impact on the development of such future technologies. Students participating in this research will acquire expertise in the field of active plasmonic materials. The research is interdisciplinary in nature, allowing students to gain proficiency in materials science as well as classical and quantum optics, and to develop both experimental and modeling skills. An important goal of this project is to train students in the burgeoning field of plasmonics by exposing university students of all levels to research and multi-disciplinary scientific work. At the undergraduate level the aim is to expand avenues for learning by offering a variety of research and mentoring opportunities. At the graduate level the project addresses student involvement in research, as well as participation in a variety of professional development activities. The latter enable pursuing of scientific knowledge and interests in less-traditional ways, such as participation in a departmentally funded student proposal contest, or informal science education and leadership opportunities. Moreover, the PI's commitment to community outreach and participation in coordinated academic activities serve to further integrate scientific research with evolving societal needs for science education.