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Gallium chiral nanoshaping for circular polarization handling
Massimo Cuscunà1, Mariachiara Manoccio, Marco Esposito
1CNR NANOTEC Institute of Nanotechnology, Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. marco.esposito@nanotec.cnr.it vittorianna.tasco@nanotec.cnr.it.
Materials Horizons
|November 25, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed 3D chiral nanohelices using plasmonic gallium. Focused ion beam induced deposition enables single-step fabrication of these core-shell nanostructures with tunable properties for optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Plasmonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Chiral nanostructures offer unique optical properties.
- Plasmonic materials are crucial for light manipulation.
- Fabricating complex 3D nanostructures remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the local growth of ordered arrays of 3D core-shell chiral nanohelices.
- To engineer these structures using focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID).
- To investigate the chiral plasmonic behavior of gallium-based nanostructures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID) with a Ga+ ion source.
- Engineered 3D core-shell nanohelices with metallic gallium cores and dielectric shells.
- Controlled core-shell thickness ratio via gallium solubility in dielectric matrices.
- Measured chiroptical effects using circularly polarized light transmission and numerical simulations.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated ordered arrays of 3D core-shell chiral nanohelices.
- Demonstrated tunable core-shell thickness ratios.
- Experimentally verified large chiroptical effects in the visible range.
- Observed plasmonic effects from gallium nanoclusters contributing to chirality.
Conclusions:
- FIBID is an effective single-step method for creating 3D chiral plasmonic nanohelices.
- Gallium-based nanostructures exhibit significant chiroptical responses.
- The developed nanohelices hold potential for advanced optical applications.
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