Robert J. Pollard

We demonstrate here a strong coupling between localized surface plasmon modes in self-standing nanorods with excitons in a molecular J-aggregate layer through angular tuning. The enhanced exciton-plasmon coupling creates a Fano like line shape in the differential reflection spectra associated with the formation of hybrid states, leading to anti-crossing of the upper and lower polaritons with a Rabi frequency of 125 meV. The recreation of a Fano like line shape was found in photoluminescence demonstrating changes in the emission spectral profile under strong coupling.

Surface plasmon polaritons usually exist on a few suitable plasmonic materials; however, nanostructured plasmonic metamaterials allow a much broader range of optical properties to be designed. Here, bottom-up and top-down nanostructuring are combined, creating hyperbolic metamaterial-based photonic crystals termed hyperbolic polaritonic crystals, allowing free-space access to the high spatial frequency modes supported by these metamaterials.

Here, we demonstrate that quasi self-standing Au nanorod arrays prepared with plasma polymerisation deposited SiO₂ dielectric spacers support surface enhanced fluorescence (SEF) while maintaining high signal reproducibility. We show that it is possible to find a balance between enhanced radiative and non-radiative decay rates at which the fluorescent intensity is maximized. The SEF signal optimised with a 30 nm spacer layer thickness showed a 3.5-fold enhancement with a signal variance of <15% thereby keeping the integrity of the nanorod array. We also demonstrate the decreased importance of obtaining resonance conditions when localized surface plasmon resonance is positioned within the spectral region of Au interband transitions. Procedures for further increasing the SEF enhancement factor are also discussed.

In this work we present core–shell nanowire arrays of gold coated with a nanometric layer of cobalt. Despite the extremely small Co volume, these core–shell nanowires display large magneto-optical activity and plasmonic resonance determined by the geometry of the structure. Therefore, we are able to tune both the plasmonic and magneto-optical response in the visible range. Through optical and ellipsometric measurements in transmission, and applying a magnetic field to the sample, it is possible to modulate the value of the phase angle (Del {Δ}) between the S and P polarised components. It was found that the core–shell sample produced an order of magnitude larger variation in Del with changing magnetic field direction, compared with hollow cobalt tubes. The enhancement of magneto optical properties through the plasmonic nature of the gold core is complemented with the ability to induce magnetic influence over optical properties via an externally applied field. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time the ability to use the remanent magnetisation of the Co, in conjunction with the optical properties defined by the Au, to observe remanent optical states in this uniquely designed structure. This new class of magnetoplasmonic metamaterial has great potential in a wide range of applications, from bio-sensing to data storage due to the tuneable nature of multiple resonance modes and dual functionality.

Arrays of freestanding upright palladium nanotubes have been fabricated using a bottom-up method of electrodepositing into anodised alumina pores. Optical transmission measurements carried out with a range of post- fabrication treatment methods suggest that hydrogen diffuses into both the inner and outer surface areas of the tube structure. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy of the same sample before and after cycling hydrogen exposure show that the structures appear undamaged by the repeated lattice expansion.