Plasmonic, or metallic, nanostructures are one step closer to fulfilling their promise as next-generation sensors and devices for high-speed communications because of research performed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Fudan University. Despite the potential, a big challenge has been to tune the optical response of plasmonic nanostructures in real time. By applying an external electric field and exploiting the unique electric and magnetic properties of a novel multiferroic substrate material, the researchers demonstrated the ability to achieve active control over the optical response of gold nanostructures with an unprecedented degree of tunability. "The unique optical response of metal nanostructures has catapulted the field of ?plasmonics' into the limelight with the promise of revolutionizing ways to deliver localized radiation for cancer research, optical circuitry for fast information transfer and ultra-sensitive biological and ultra-sensitive biological and chemical sensors," said Katyayani Seal of ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division. The findings were published in Nano Letters (Vol. 11).
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