Colloidal strategies to synthesize architecturally and functionally complex nanoparticles

Dr.Kyoungweon Park

Air Force Research Lab
Nanostructured and Biological Materials Branch

Tuesday, 17th November 2009
3:00PM Samsung Auditorium

Gold nanorods (NRs) have received widespread attention due to their strongly localized surface plasmon resonance. Recently, they have been proposed as basic building block for structuring plasmon enhanced devices and optical metamaterials due to their inherent negative permittivity in visible frequency. These electromagnetic properties depend on the size, shape and composition of the individual particles, as well as their local arrangement. In this regards, we are developing colloidal-based synthetic methods that are efficient and scalable and provide finely-tailored and narrowly-dispersed gold NRs. They serve as starting points to create compositionally complex nanostructure through secondary reduction and galvanic replacement reaction. Additionally, we have developed self-limiting assembling strategies that provide complex assembly such as side by side pair, phi structure, and nanochain. Through this reaction control of size and shape of the particles, as well as structural and compositional variation, broad range of novel optical responses are observed. Kyoungweon Park received her Ph.D. in Polymer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2006. Currently she is a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow in the Nanostructured and Biological Materials Branch at the Air Force Research Lab in the Wright–Patterson Air Force Base. Her research interests include design, synthesis, and characterization of nanostructured materials capable of controlled assembly and self-organization.