Plasmonic properties of Aluminum nanostructures for WMD detection and remediation
Abstract
Our goal is to investigate and subsequently utilize Aluminum, the most abundant metal on earth, as a potential material to both identify and destroy dangerous compounds in the categories of Toxic industrial Compounds (TICs) and Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs). Previous work on chemical sensing and remediation using metal nanoparticles and light focused almost entirely on precious metals such as gold and silver for sensing, and platinum and palladium for chemical remediation. By studying the properties of Aluminum nanoparticles, our work will reveal how to best to utilize the characteristics of this inexpensive and abundant material to develop sensitive methods for detecting and remediating these dangerous compounds. Aluminum nanoparticles are ideal “antennas” that capture and interact strongly with light in the visible region of the spectrum, and can be fabricated into brightly colored films. Aluminum is coated with a surface layer of aluminum oxide that enables molecules to be bound or captured at its surface. We will examine how this surface oxide chemistry can be modified to grow alternative oxides with differing properties on the aluminum nanoparticle surface. With a range of different types of surface oxides, both insulating and semiconducting, these nanoparticles can be designed to function either as active sensors or as photocatalysts. In the course of this project, we will learn how to tailor both these optical and chemical properties by varying the size and shape of the aluminum nanoparticles and by growth and modification of the surface oxide coatings. This combination of properties can be developed for chemical sensors that can be used to detect specific molecules or families of molecules, and that can be monitored by color changes easily detectable by the human eye.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 13, 2016
- Source ID
- HDTRA11610042
Entities
People
- Nancy Halas
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Rice University