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| The new material is suitable for solar cells, biosensors, and other systems working on quantum principles. Photo credit: Vladimir Petrov |
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Nanoparticle Growth Technology
The Core Concept: A novel synthesis technique that uses ion implantation to create nonspherical nanoparticles, allowing for precise control over their geometry and physical properties.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional methods that typically yield spherical particles, this approach utilizes ion implantation into a ceramic matrix to synthesize nanoparticles of varying, controlled shapes, which significantly enhances plasmon resonance and optical absorption.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Ion Implantation: The primary method for synthesizing nanoparticles within a radiation-resistant ceramic matrix.
- Surface Plasmon Resonance: An optical phenomenon where the particle shape influences an amplified electric field around the nanoparticle, improving energy conversion.
- Universal Mathematical Model: A new framework developed by the research team to describe and predict the growth of nonspherical nanoparticles.
- Plasmonic Metamaterials: Artificial, periodic structures engineered for specific optical, electronic, or magnetic responses.
Branch of Science: Nanotechnology, Physics, Materials Science, and Chemistry.
Future Application: Development of high-precision analytical sensors, next-generation lasers, advanced spacecraft navigation systems, enhanced energy-conversion devices for solar cells, and components for quantum computing.
Why It Matters: By enabling the precise tuning of nanoparticle morphology, this technology allows for the optimization of plasmonic performance, which improves the sensitivity of diagnostic devices and the efficiency of energy-harvesting systems that rely on light-matter interactions.
"By changing the shape of nanoparticles from spherical to non-spherical, we were able to increase the range of optical absorption. This, in turn, is the basis for further converting the absorbed energy into electricity and heat. As a result, we can get more functional sensors and increase their sensitivity range. If such nanoparticles are built into lasers, their power will increase. If we talk about sensors, their sensitivity will increase. As for sensors, their response time will change. This is all due to the peculiarity of plasmon resonance, which leads to the fact that around the nanoparticles there is an amplified electric field," explains study co-author Arseny Kiryakov, Associate Professor at the Department of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control at UrFU.
Metal nanoparticles are used to solve a variety of problems: from biological (sensors for determining the composition of proteins, DNA analysis, etc.) to physical (creation of amplified lasers, photoluminescent sensors, etc.). For example, in contact with biobjects - DNA, viruses, antibodies - plasmonic nanostructures can increase the intensity of fluorescence signals by more than an order of magnitude, that is, they can significantly expand detection, identification and diagnosis. Changing the shape of nanoparticles will allow to control these properties, to improve them.
The first experiments with copper particles allowed scientists to create a metamaterial that has no analogues.
"The new material consists of non-spherical plasmonic nanoparticles in a matrix of optically transparent radiation-resistant ceramics. Due to the controlled morphology of the plasmonic nanoparticles, the new material provides improved spectral characteristics and energy conversion efficiency of the absorbed photons. We found that the unique physical properties of the obtained material are manifested by a special phenomenon - the effect of surface plasmon resonance. Materials with this effect can be used for new generation lasers, high-precision analytical devices, spacecraft navigation systems, quantum computers, etc., in other words, where light energy absorption and conversion should be used," says Anatoly Zatsepin, Professor of the Department of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control at UrFU.
In addition, scientists from Uzbekistan, part of the research group, have proposed a universal matmodel describing this process. According to the physicists, the model is important for describing and understanding what happens to nanoparticles in different materials, and it is the first model that describes the growth of nonspherical nanoparticles. Previous models do not take into account the unusual shape of the particles.
Physicists plan to expand their understanding of the nature and laws of physical phenomena occurring in the material under external energy influences, which, in turn, will provide information about new possibilities for the functional application of this type of materials.
The new material is being researched under the Priority 2030 program at the Ural Federal University's Hybrid Technologies and Metamaterials - MetaLab research laboratory. The work is carried out within the framework of the project "Development of corpuscular-photon technologies for obtaining and modifying metamaterials for plasmonic, spintronics, and nanophotonic".
Reference material: What Is: Metamaterials
Published in journal: Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids
Authors: A.N. Kiryakov, A.F. Zatsepin, A. Sh. Vagapov, B.L. Oksengendler, and N.V. Gavrilov
Source/Credit: Ural Federal University
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: nt102122_01