(INVITED) Nanoparticles-based photonic metal–dielectric composites: A survey of recent results

Abstract

This review paper is devoted to description of experimental results with photonic metal-dielectric nanocomposites (MDNCs) based on glasses and liquids with enhanced optical properties due to the presence of metal nanoparticles (NPs). Concerning the MDNCs based on glasses, we describe their fabrication and evaluate the potential of these materials for optical amplification, the improvement in the performance of photovoltaic devices due to luminescent glasses used as cover layers, and the tunable light emission influenced by silver-NPs (Ag-NPs) in triply doped glasses with rare-earth ions. Regarding the MDNCs based on liquid colloids, containing spherical (Ag-NPs), silver nanoprisms (Ag-NPRs), or gold nanorods (Au-NRs), we discuss the synthesis of the materials, their linear and nonlinear optical characterization, and some photonic applications. Recent results using a nonlinearity management procedure to optimize self-action effects and all-optical switches performance are reviewed, as well as the applications of Au-NRs and Ag-NPRs as scatterers for Random Lasers operation. The perspectives for further photonic applications of the MDNCs are also discussed.

Keywords

• Tellurite and germanate glasses
• Optical amplifiers
• Lanthanide photonics
• Metal nanoparticles
• Metal colloids
• High-order nonlinearities