STEM-EELS Nano-Spectroscopy of Energy Transfer from Plasmonic Nanostructures to Molecular Media
Abstract
Waste heat generation is an unavoidable consequence of work performed across all areas of human activity, including industrial processes, electricity generation, transportation, and information processing. It is estimated that 20 to 50 percent of commercial energy input is lost to the environment as waste heat; therefore, the ability to reclaim even a fraction of this lost heat represents a major opportunity to improve energy efficiency. Such improvements would be especially meaningful in limited resource environments, such as in spacecraft or off-grid locations. Towards this end, rationally designed phononic and infrared (IR) plasmonic materials offer the potential to direct the flow of energy from thermal sources into more desirable physical and chemical transformations. In this joint experimental-theoretical proposal we will spatially and spectrally resolve the interactions between IR active nanostructures and their resonant environments using ultra low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) performed in an electron microscope. Our approach is organized by several high-impact objectives- (1) Demonstrate how ambient thermal backgrounds couple to the low-energy resonance modes of nanoscale materials. (2) Explore the mechanistic details of plasmon- and phonon-environment coupling in IR nanomaterials to elucidate how to harness this energy. (3) Characterize the the energy transfer from IR active nanomaterials to resonant dissipation pathways at the nanoscale. (4) Show the transduction of energy from thermally excited surface plasmon and phonon resonances to the local chemical environment. The proposed research impacts AFOSR objectives in directed chemical transformation and latent heat remediation and will open new lines of research which are expected to continue well beyond the award period.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502110282
Entities
People
- Jon P Camden
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Notre Dame