Condensed Matter Physics Seminar: Florian Schulz

Abstract:

Supercrystals of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) with diameters > 20 nm exhibit interesting optical properties. The periodic arrangement of the AuNP within the supercrystals leads to new well-defined collective plasmon-polariton modes and with tailored geometries even deep strong light-matter coupling at room temperature is possible.1 To observe and study these phenomena a precise control of supercrystal geometry is crucial. The synthesis of such quasicrystalline supercrystals with large domain sizes will be explained and discussed.2-3 The supercrystals with a well‐defined layered structure are studied with transmission electron microscopy, small‐angle X‐ray scattering and X‐ray cross‐correlation analysis.4-5 The enhanced near-fields in the supercrystals can be utilized, for instance, for surface-enhanced spectroscopies and catalytic applications.6-7 The tunable geometry of the supercrystals directly translates to tailored optical properties and in the future new materials and structures can be explored. Some recent examples of more complex assemblies in this direction will be discussed.

References:
 
1.    Mueller, N. S.; Okamura, Y.; Vieira, B. G. M.; Juergensen, S.; Lange, H.; Barros, E. B.; Schulz, F.; Reich, S., Deep strong light-matter coupling in plasmonic nanoparticle crystals. Nature 2020, 583 (7818), 780-784.
2.    Schulz, F.; Lange, H., Optimizing Interparticle Gaps in Large-Scale Gold Nanoparticle Supercrystals for Flexible Light-Matter Coupling. Adv. Opt. Mater. 2022, 10 (24), 2202064-(1-6).
3.    Schulz, F.; Pavelka, O.; Lehmkuhler, F.; Westermeier, F.; Okamura, Y.; Mueller, N. S.; Reich, S.; Lange, H., Structural order in plasmonic superlattices. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11 (1), 3821-(1-9).
4.    Schulz, F.; Lokteva, I.; Parak, W. J.; Lehmkuhler, F., Recent Notable Approaches to Study Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles with X-Ray Scattering and Electron Microscopy. Part. Part. Syst. Charact. 2021, 38 (9), 2100087-(1-28).
5.    Schulz, F.; Westermeier, F.; Dallari, F.; Markmann, V.; Lange, H.; Grubel, G.; Lehmkuhler, F., Plasmonic Supercrystals with a Layered Structure Studied by a Combined TEM-SAXS-XCCA Approach. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 7 (19), 2000919-(1-9).
6.    Herran, M.; Juergensen, S.; Kessens, M.; Hoeing, D.; Köppen, A.; Sousa-Castillo, A.; Parak, W. J.; Lange, H.; Reich, S.; Schulz, F.; Cortés, E., Plasmonic bimetallic two-dimensional supercrystals for H2 generation. Nat. Catal. 2023, 6 (12), 1205-1214.
7.    Mueller, N. S.; Pfitzner, E.; Okamura, Y.; Gordeev, G.; Kusch, P.; Lange, H.; Heberle, J.; Schulz, F.; Reich, S., Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption by Plasmon Polaritons in Three-Dimensional Nanoparticle Supercrystals. ACS Nano 2021, 15 (3), 5523-5533.