Plasmonic Metal Oxide Nanocrystals for Near-Field Coupling

在这个由化学部门的大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的迪莉娅·米伦教授正在开发掺杂金属氧化物纳米晶体，这种纳米晶体可以与附近的分子交换能量。这些新的纳米级构建模块可以被化学家、材料科学家和工程师广泛应用于制造功能材料和设备。millron教授正在指导研究生、博士后和本科生研究人员，他们正在接受独特的跨学科教育经验，获得包括纳米晶体合成、光谱学和光物质相互作用模拟在内的主题的专业知识。此外，millron教授正在开发一种新的教育模块，用于大学预科拓展项目，向学生介绍等离子体现象和纳米化学。本项目开发的纳米晶体具有红外光谱共振频率，不同于金或银等经典金属纳米粒子的可见光共振频率。为了最大限度地发挥近场耦合的潜力，人们正在开发调整掺杂化学和掺杂分布的合成方法。傅里叶变换红外光谱对等离子体-振动耦合的表征补充了正在进行的合成发展，并为指导能量流动以调整催化途径以及开发先进的传感器和光谱探针奠定了基础。

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Delia Milliron of the University of Texas at Austin is developing doped metal oxide nanocrystals that can exchange energy with nearby molecules. These new nanoscale building blocks can be widely applied by chemists, materials scientists, and engineers to create functional materials and devices. Professor Milliron is mentoring graduate student, postdoctoral, and undergraduate researchers who are receiving a unique interdisciplinary educational experience, gaining expertise in topics including nanocrystal synthesis, spectroscopy, and simulation of light-matter interactions. Furthermore, Professor Milliron is developing a new educational module for use in pre-college outreach programs that introduce students to plasmonic phenomena and nanochemistry in general.Nanocrystals under development in this project have resonant frequencies in the infrared spectral regime, different from the visible light resonance of classical metal nanoparticles such as gold or silver. Synthetic methods to tune dopant chemistry and dopant distribution are being developed to maximize the potential for near field coupling. Characterization of plasmon-vibrational coupling by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy complements the synthetic developments underway and lays the foundation for directing energy flow to tune catalytic pathways and to develop advanced sensors and spectroscopic probes.