Active modulation of nanorod plasmons.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21861468.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/nl201876r.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Confining visible light to nanoscale dimensions has become possible with surface plasmons. Many plasmonic elements have already been realized. Nanorods, for example, function as efficient optical antennas. However, active control of the plasmonic response remains a roadblock for building optical analogues of electronic circuits. We present a new approach to modulate the polarized scattering intensities of individual gold nanorods by 100% using liquid crystals with applied voltages as low as 4 V. This novel effect is based on the transition from a homogeneous to a twisted nematic phase of the liquid crystal covering the nanorods. With our method it will be possible to actively control optical antennas as well as other plasmonic elements.