Design principles for photonic crystals based on plasmonic nanoparticle superlattices

Abstract

Photonic crystals have been widely studied due to their broad technological applications in lasers, sensors, optical telecommunications, and display devices. Typically, photonic crystals are periodic structures of touching dielectric materials with alternating high and low refractive indices, and to date, the variables of interest have focused primarily on crystal symmetry and the refractive indices of the constituent materials, primarily polymers and semiconductors. In contrast, finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations suggest that plasmonic nanoparticle superlattices with spacer groups offer an alternative route to photonic crystals due to the controllable spacing of the nanoparticles and the high refractive index of the lattices, even far away from the plasmon frequency where losses are low. Herein, the stopband features of 13 Bravais lattices are characterized and compared, resulting in paradigm-shifting design principles for photonic crystals. Based on these design rules, a simple cubic structure with an ∼130-nm lattice parameter is predicted to have a broad photonic stopband, a property confirmed by synthesizing the structure via DNA programmable assembly and characterizing it by reflectance measurements. We show through simulation that a maximum reflectance of more than 0.99 can be achieved in these plasmonic photonic crystals by optimizing the nanoparticle composition and structural parameters.

Position‐ and Orientation‐Controlled Growth of Wulff‐Shaped Colloidal Crystals Engineered with DNA

“…[ 10 ] The ability to control symmetry and crystal habit has advanced crystal engineering with DNA toward a variety of unique applications, especially in nanophotonics. [ 11 ] In particular, several types of colloidal crystals engineered with DNA have shown promise as polarizers, [ 12 ] waveguides, [ 13 ] emitters, [ 11b ] and reflectors. [ 13 ] Due to their small size (micrometer‐scale), such colloidal crystals may further be integrated into high‐density optical circuits for computing purposes.…”

“…[ 11 ] In particular, several types of colloidal crystals engineered with DNA have shown promise as polarizers, [ 12 ] waveguides, [ 13 ] emitters, [ 11b ] and reflectors. [ 13 ] Due to their small size (micrometer‐scale), such colloidal crystals may further be integrated into high‐density optical circuits for computing purposes. [ 14 ] However, since crystal orientation, shape, and location (with respect to other structures) can also significantly affect the optical light path, control over these parameters is needed in order to realize more elaborate on‐chip devices.…”

Programmable Atom Equivalents: Atomic Crystallization as a Framework for Synthesizing Nanoparticle Superlattices

“…The result is a bulk material color not exhibited in a nonassembled or randomly positioned set of NP subunits . Specifically, PAEs have demonstrated structural color due to index contrast between slip planes, causing reflection of specific wavelengths . However, a thorough investigation into the effects of PAE design variables (e.g., lattice parameter, NP core shape, etc.)…”

Visible Light Plasmon Excitation of Silver Nanoparticles Against Antibiotic-ResistantPseudomonas aeruginosa

“…Even small variations in one of these parameters may result in new properties that are absent in the analogous bulk material. Due to its high range of controllable features, metallic nanoparticles are now used in many processes, such as catalysis (3), SERS (4), electroanalytical sensors (5), plasmonics (6), photonics (7) and others.…”