Tuning the Optical Properties of Hyperbolic Metamaterials by Controlling the Volume Fraction of Metallic Nanorods.

Porous films of anodic aluminum oxide are widely used as templates for the electrochemical preparation of functional nanocomposites containing ordered arrays of anisotropic nanostructures. In these structures, the volume fraction of the inclusion phase, which strongly determines the functional properties of the nanocomposite, is equal to the porosity of the initial template. For the range of systems, the most pronounced effects and the best functional properties are expected when the volume fraction of metal is less than 10%, whereas the porosity of anodic aluminum oxide typically exceeds this value.