Conductive Polymer Could Enable Tunable Nano-Optics

Optical nanoantennas, made from a conducting polymer instead of a traditional metal and developed by scientists at Linköping University, could enable a new type of controllable nano-optical component for use in various applications, such as smart windows and reflective displays. The nontraditional, organic material that was used can support localized surface plasmon resonances in the near-infrared and can function as a dynamic nano-optical antenna, with resonance behavior that is tunable by chemical redox. Resonant light-matter interaction can be achieved using conventional plasmonics based on metal nanostructures, but the tunability is limited due to a fixed permittivity. The Linköping team wanted to explore materials with...