Control of work functions of nanophotonic components.

Work function is an essential material's property playing important roles in electronics, photovoltaics, and more recently, in nanophotonics. We have studied effects of organic, and inorganic dielectric materials on work functions of Au films in single layered, and multilayered structures. We found that measured work function of metallic surfaces can be affected by dielectric materials situated 10-100 nm away from the metallic surface.

Anomalous Dispersion in Reflection and Emission of Dye Molecules Strongly Coupled to Surface Plasmon Polaritons.

We have studied dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in the Kretschmann geometry (prism/Ag/dye-doped polymer) in weak, intermediate, and ultra-strong exciton-plasmon coupling regimes. The dispersion curves obtained in the reflection experiment were in good agreement with the simple model predictions at small concentrations of dye (Rhodamine 590, Rh590) in the polymer (Poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA). At the same time, highly unusual multi-segment "staircase-like" dispersion curves were observed at extra-large dye concentrations, also in agreement with the simple theoretical model predicting large, small, and negative group velocities featured by different polariton branches.

The Influence of Nonlocal Metal-Dielectric Environments on Physical and Chemical Processes.

ConspectusPlasmonic nanolayers and laminar metallic/dielectric multilayers were originally developed for optical cloaking applications and lensing applications that could potentially image objects whose size was below the diffraction limit. These assemblies were initially formed from gold or silver nanorods grown within an alumina mesh. However, more recently, assemblies with similar properties have also been prepared by sequential thin-layer deposition of alternating layers of gold and magnesium fluoride (MgF).

Effect of metal/dielectric substrates on photopolymerization of BITh thin films.

We have studied effects of metal-dielectric substrates on photopolymerization of [2,2'-Bi-1H-indene]-1,1'-dione-3,3'-diyl diheptanoate (BITh) monomer. We synthetized BITh and spin-coated it onto a variety of dielectric, metallic, and metal-dielectric substrates. The films were exposed to radiation of a UV-Visible Xe lamp, causing photo-polymerization of monomer molecules.