Nanoporous metallic networks: Growth process and optical properties

Abstract

Nanoporous metallic systems exhibit a new generation of advanced materials with potential in a wide variety of technological fields among them catalysis, photonics, optoelectronics and sensors.Their high surface-to-volume ratio, multimodal nanoscale moieties, ability to host guest materials, and inhomogeneous surface at the submicron scale distinct them from both bulk metals and conventional plasmonic materials as well as meta-surfaces. Those structures can be prepared through different fabrication and synthesis strategies including chemical dealloying, assembly of pre-synthesized metallic nanoparticles, and via templating. In a sharp contrast with these preparation strategies, we have demonstrated one can fabricate a macroscopic nanopourus metallic networks by using physical vapor deposition in a short single-step process. These materials are highly pure, and they show very unique linear and non-linear optical properties, among them high Second-Harmonic-generation response. Herein, we will discuss their growth process mechanism, and utilize it for more complex 3d structure which behave as SHG reflectors.