Nonlinear Optical and Time-Resolved Properties of Novel Organic Dendrimers and Dendrimer Metal

摘要

During the course of a Young Investigator Award from the Army Research Office (Materials Program) the research in the PI's group has developed into three different but related areas of scientific discovery. The first of these areas concerns the optical properties of novel transition metal nanoparticle topology which we call 'Dendnmerr Metal Nanocomposites'. This novel metal nanoparticle system was investigated under support by the ARO for novel optical limiting and enhanced metal emission properties. We found in particular that gold-metal dendrimer nanocomposites have very strong optical limiting properties that may be useful for eye and sensor protection devices in the visible and near Infrared spectral regions. The emission properties of both and silver dendrimer metal nanocomposites were also investigated by time- resolved upconversion spectroscopy. From these measurements the PI's group found that the efficiency at emission was enhanced in comparison to other related metal topologies and this enhancement is related to the encapsulated metal's morphology (aspect- ratio). Applications of this particular metal topology in to biological systems are currently under investigation in the PI's laboratory.