Plasmonic particle arrays for vibrational strong coupling and polaritonic chemistry
Francesco Verdelli defended his PhD thesis at the department of Applied Physics and Science 果冻传媒 on September 25th.
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In his PhD research, Francesco Verdelli investigated the strong interaction between molecular vibrations and surface lattice resonances (SLRs) sustained by plasmonic particle arrays. By carefully tailoring the SLR of these arrays to match the molecular bond, he showed that two new hybrid modes, known as polaritons, are generated.
Furthermore, demonstrated how the inhomogeneous fields associated with the SLR influence the polaritons. Specifically, he proved that the lower polariton undergoes motional narrowing when the photonic and molecular resonances overlap.
He then used these particle arrays to alter the kinetics of a hydrolysis reaction already susceptible to strong coupling. Verdelli demonstrated that under the strong coupling condition, the reaction proceeds roughly three times faster than outside the strong coupling regime.
Finally, he showed how the coupling strength between molecular vibrations and SLRs can be further enhanced to achieve a new regime known as ultrastrong coupling.
The research presented in the PhD thesis of Verdelli introduces arrays of plasmonic particles as a novel platform for investigating strong coupling with molecular vibrations and manipulating chemical reactions under the strong coupling regime.
Title of PhD thesis: . Supervisors: Jaime Gomez Rivas and Andrea Baldi.