Strongly coupled plasmon-exciton hybrid nanostructures

Master Thesis in Nanoscience.Over the last two decades, scientists have been studying the properties and functions of materials within hundred nanometers in size. Nanotechnology is a very broad field which includes sciences as diverse as surface science, semiconductor physics, energy storage, microfabrication, molecular engineering. Its fast evolution has demonstrated that it holds the key to many of the technological advancements in a wide range of applications, such as nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, energy production, and consumer products, among others. Hence, nanotechnology is expected to have a significant impact on our society within de next decades with several challenges like the creation of new materials and devices with superior properties in order to implement them in future applications. Recently research community focuses on the understanding the physical properties of a new type of nanomaterial known as plexcitonic nanoparticle, a system that combines plasmonic (metal) and excitonic (molecular) components. A large number of proof-of-concept experiments over last year indicate that these hybrid systems offer properties that can outperform the properties of their corresponding components when use separately. Although the structural integrity of these systems is achieved in laboratory conditions, it is of questionable control while dealing with long-term use in real-world conditions, e.g., exposure to light of high intensity, extreme temperatures, or harsh chemical conditions. Therefore, in the present Master thesis we set an overreaching goal of the evaluation the structural integrity of hybrid plexcitonic nanoparticles under light exposure conditions, which is of paramount importance when pointing towards the use of these systems in photocatalysis or biosensing.Peer reviewe