| Description |
Plasmonics, the phenomenon resulting from light interactions with nanoscale structures, is an active field for nanoscale manipulation of light. By varying the metal, size, and shape, plasmonic nanostructures can be tuned to interact with a broad spectral range of light. Commonly used plasmonic materials are the noble metals gold and silver. Aluminum, as a highly abundant material, is a cost-effective alternative to the noble metals. However, aluminum does present a challenge as it readily forms a native oxide layer, which can both protect structures and complicate fabrication. Here aluminum nanocrescents are fabricated with variations in geometries to investigate how shape control affects the optical response of the structures. Due to their high tunability potential, aluminum nanocrescents show great promise for functionality across a broad region of the spectrum of light. Preliminary work investigated the potential for aluminum-based surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy compared to an analogous gold system. The versatile fabrication process and broad tunability of the aluminum nanostructures may allow for a wide variety of applications, such as surface enhanced spectroscopies, photocatalysis, and photovoltaics. |
