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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles without Aggregation in the Interlayer Space of Layered Titanate Transparent Films
Published on: January 17, 2017
Synthesis of Plasmonically Active Titanium Nitride Using a Metallic Alloy Buffer Layer Strategy.
Arthur F Lipinski1, Christopher W Lambert1, Achyut Maity1
1School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, U.K.
Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films offer a promising alternative for plasmonics. A CrRu buffer layer enables high-quality TiN on cost-effective substrates, achieving excellent plasmonic performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Optics
Background:
- Traditional plasmonic materials face limitations.
- Titanium nitride (TiN) is an emerging alternative with tunable properties.
- Developing high-quality TiN films on diverse substrates is crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of a chromium-ruthenium (CrRu) buffer layer for fabricating high-quality TiN thin films.
- To evaluate the plasmonic performance of TiN films on amorphous substrates.
- To characterize TiN thin films and nanostructures for surface plasmonics.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of TiN thin films on fused silica using a CrRu buffer layer.
- Characterization of film quality and plasmonic properties.
- Utilizing attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Achieved best-in-class TiN thin films with a plasmonic figure of merit (-ϵ'/ϵ″) of approximately 2.8.
- Demonstrated high film quality on cost-effective fused silica substrates at a moderate temperature of ~300 °C.
- Characterized TiN triangular nanostructures, showing potential for surface plasmonics.
Conclusions:
- The CrRu buffer layer facilitates the deposition of high-quality TiN on amorphous substrates.
- TiN thin films exhibit excellent plasmonic performance, rivaling traditional materials.
- TiN nanostructures show promise for future surface plasmonic devices.
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