The research group is focused on three principal missions:
- to design optically active nanostructures driven by function (noble metals and novel plasmonic metamaterials : 2D materials and active plasmonic materials)
- to develop and implement new nanofabrication strategies to build, orient, and pattern these nanostructures into new materials and devices
- to characterize and understand the physical properties of these optically active nanostructures, devices and materials
The research activity can be detailed as follows:
- Fundamental Science of Nanoscale Plasmonic surfaces
- Fabrication of nanostructured plasmonic materials by chemical routes (chemical synthesis and Self-assembly onto planar substrates using coordination and electrostatic binding) or physical routes for the study of disordered metal nanostructures (thermal evaporation /sputtering) or ordered nanostructures (FIB/ EBL, or template mediated techniques : hole mask colloidal lithography, AAO membrane, imprint lithography);
- Optical characterization and study of their physical properties in view of a photonic application. This activity is supported by theoretical modelling tools based on Finite Elements Methods, Mie, discrete dipole approximation (DDA)
- Studies on different effect of plasmon coupling : magneto-plasmonics, plasmon-enhanced luminescence/fluorescence effects, Plasmon-Exciton Coupling and Spontaneous Emission Enhancement, plasmons and spin waves interactions, Opto-Plasmonics of Metallo-Dielectric Nanostructures, Electromagnetic Properties of Intrinsically Active and Tunable Photonic Metamaterials
- Ultrasensitive Chemical and biological Sensing (developed in GdL 5)
- Further nanophotonic applications: Plasmon- enhanced lasing efficiency in organic microcavity lasers; optical resonators utilizing whispering-gallery type plasmonic modes (activity with IFAC-CNR), Plasmon-enhanced solar cells, Plasmonic LEDs, THz plasmonics, Ultrafast plasmonics, plasmonic waveguiding (in progress)
POC: mariagrazia.manera@cnr.it; roberto.rella@cnr.it; arianna.creti@cnr.it; mauro.lomascolo@cnr.it