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Projects


Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/G064938/1
Title Materials World Network: Nano-structured materials from nanoparticle- and block copolymer assemblies for nanophotonics and optoelectronics
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics) 20%;
Not Energy Related 80%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics) 25%;
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 75%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Professor SA Maier
No email address given
Department of Physics (the Blackett Laboratory)
Imperial College London
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 August 2009
End Date 31 January 2013
Duration 42 months
Total Grant Value £1
Industrial Sectors No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Region London
Programme Physical Sciences
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor SA Maier , Department of Physics (the Blackett Laboratory), Imperial College London (99.999%)
  Other Investigator Dr hjs Snaith , Oxford Physics, University of Oxford (0.001%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract Here we propose to investigate the synthesis and characterization of novel classes of metal-based nano-structured particles and composites with well-defined geometry and connectivity. The materials are obtained by a modular bottom-up approach of metal-containing nanoparticles (NPs) with core-shell architecture as well as nanocomposites from metal NPs and block copolymers (BCs) as structure-directed agents. The aim of the proposed program is to understand the underlying fundamental chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic formation principles enabling general and relatively inexpensive wet-chemistry methodologies for the efficient creation of multiscale functional metal materials with novel optical property profiles that may revolutionize the field of nanophotonics/plasmonics/ metamaterials, enabled by nm-scale control over the underlying structure over large dimensions. The proposed research includes synthesis of all necessary organic/polymer and inorganic components, characterization of assembly structures using various scattering, optical and electron microscopy techniques, as well as thorough investigations of their optical properties including simulation and modeling efforts, and work towards major novel optics in the form of sub-wavelength imaging, highly sensitive hot-spot arrays over macroscopic dimensions for sensing, and sub-wavelength waveguiding. While the main focus of our proposed work lies on non-magnetic materials and the assessment of linear optical properties of the fabricated compounds, a crucial point is that we are aiming at synthesis approaches that can be generalized over a wider class of materials systems. A final thrust of the program addresses a particularly topical exploitation area, where we will integrate specific plasmonic structures into hybrid solar cells and characterize and optimize plasmon enhanced photogeneration of charges and subsequent solar cell efficiency. If successful this will lead to a new generation, or class of photovolatics, namely plasmonic solar cells
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 11/11/11