Goldnanoteilchen auf Titandioxid

The interdisciplinary field of nanostructure science has gained significant importance in recent decades and is now considered a key technology of the 21st century. The reason for this great interest lies in the fact that nanoparticles exhibit a variety of unique physical and chemical properties, which are also strongly influenced by the size and shape of the particles. This work deals with the growth as well as the ultrafast electron dynamics of the surface plasmon polariton of gold nanoparticles on titanium dioxide. In addition to the growth of the particles in the Volmer-Weber growth mode, the author Nils Borg demonstrates how the average particle shape and the associated optical properties can be tailored for technical applications by irradiating laser light during growth. Furthermore, he shows how the ultrafast electron dynamics of the particles can be investigated using the laser-based method of spectral hole burning. The results indicate a strong dependence of the plasmon damping on the photon energy, which can be attributed to the substrate.