We demonstrate and characterize an optical control of the plasmonic heat delivered by a monolayer substrate of gold nanoparticles, obtained by modulating the effective refractive index of the neighboring dielectric medium. The effect, which exploits the dependence of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) refractive index on the molecular director orientation, is realized by using a polarization dependent, light-induced molecular reorientation of a thin film of photo-alignment layer that the NLC is in contact with. For a suitable alignment, plasmonic pumping intensity values ranging from 0.25 W/cm2 to 6.30 W/cm2 can induce up to 17.4 °C temperature variations in time intervals of the order of seconds. The reversibility of the optically induced NLC molecular director orientation enables an active control of the plasmonic photo-induced heat.

Optical control of plasmonic heating effects using reversible photo-alignment of nematic liquid crystal / Palermo, ; G:, Cataldi; U, ; DE SIO, Luciano; Bürgi, T; Tabiryan, N; Umeton, C.. - In: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS. - ISSN 0003-6951. - 109:(2016). [10.1063/1.4967377]

Optical control of plasmonic heating effects using reversible photo-alignment of nematic liquid crystal

DE SIO, LUCIANO;
2016

Abstract

We demonstrate and characterize an optical control of the plasmonic heat delivered by a monolayer substrate of gold nanoparticles, obtained by modulating the effective refractive index of the neighboring dielectric medium. The effect, which exploits the dependence of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) refractive index on the molecular director orientation, is realized by using a polarization dependent, light-induced molecular reorientation of a thin film of photo-alignment layer that the NLC is in contact with. For a suitable alignment, plasmonic pumping intensity values ranging from 0.25 W/cm2 to 6.30 W/cm2 can induce up to 17.4 °C temperature variations in time intervals of the order of seconds. The reversibility of the optically induced NLC molecular director orientation enables an active control of the plasmonic photo-induced heat.
2016
alignment; crystal orientation; liquid crystals; molecular orientation; plasmons; refractive index; director orientation; effective refractive index; gold nanoparticles; light-induced molecular reorientations; nematic liquid crystals (nlc); optically induced; plasmonic heating; temperature variation; nematic liquid crystals
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Optical control of plasmonic heating effects using reversible photo-alignment of nematic liquid crystal / Palermo, ; G:, Cataldi; U, ; DE SIO, Luciano; Bürgi, T; Tabiryan, N; Umeton, C.. - In: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS. - ISSN 0003-6951. - 109:(2016). [10.1063/1.4967377]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Palermo_Optical-control_2016.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 1.53 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.53 MB Adobe PDF   Contatta l'autore

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1014522
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 22
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 21
social impact