Nanorice research seeks to focus light on small regions in space

  • Published
  • By Erin Crawley
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. --  Using funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research here, a team of engineers, physicists and chemists from Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) have successfully created 'nanorice,' which will be used to focus light on small regions in space.

Findings on this nanorice research were recently presented by principal investigator, Professor Naomi Halas, during an AFOSR program review in Arlington. Results of the study were also published in a recent issue of Nano Letters.

Professor Halas is a Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Professor of Chemistry, Nanoengineering, Plasmonics and Nanophotonics at Rice University in Houston.

In her presentation entitled "Plasmonic Nanostructures: Artificial Molecules Enabling Nanoscale Spectroscopies," professor Halas discussed the special properties of metallic nanoparticles and how they can essentially capture light and focus that light around themselves to remarkably high intensities.

"A molecule bound to a metallic surface has the ability to act like a very bright beacon in a much brighter manner than if this molecule was just floating in space somewhere," said professor Halas.

Nanorice is a rice-shaped nanoparticle with a non-conducting core made of iron oxide and covered by a metallic shell made of gold. Scientists plan to attach the nanorice to scanning probe microscopes to obtain very clear image quality that surpasses today's technology. For the Air Force, this technology could be used to develop new high-speed optoelectronic materials and to monitor chemical reactions.

Professor Halas' research has many possible benefits to the Air Force. She said the Air Force is very interested in developing technology to control light at dimensions smaller than one wavelength, along with the ability to probe properties of molecules next to surfaces.

According to professor Halas, her research can benefit the Air Force in many ways. For example, she suggested that her work could lead to improvements in space vehicles and coatings. It can also be used for advancements in ultra-fast switches that control certain types of vehicles and/or their components. Additionally, professor Halas suggested her research may also have applications for keeping personnel safe by protecting them from chemical hazards or biohazards.

"There are a variety of different directorates (within the Air Force Research Laboratory) where these sorts of very basic scientific questions can have very direct applicability - not 10 years away, but maybe more like three years away," said professor Halas.