Defect tolerance and the effect of structural inhomogeneity in plasmonic DNA-nanoparticle superlattices

Abstract

Materials constructed with metal nanoparticles interact strongly with light, enabling functions such as tunable color, molecular sensors, and light-based electronics. These materials, however, are often imperfect; nanoparticles vary in their size, shape, and surface morphology, which can affect the quality of their arrangement as well as their properties. We use DNA to synthesize precisely controlled crystalline arrangements of gold nanoparticles and survey how a variety of structural inhomogeneities affects their optical properties. The results reported herein identify specific metal nanoparticle-based materials whose optical properties are either sensitive or insensitive to inhomogeneity.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 03, 2015
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1513058112

Entities

People

  • Chad Mirkin
  • George C. Schatz
  • Jessie C. Ku
  • Martin G. Blaber
  • Michael B Ross

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Division of Materials Research
  • Northwestern University

Tags

Readers

  • Electromagnetic Wave Scattering and Antenna Radiation Engineering
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene