Interest in the active control of plasmonic properties by external means, such as applied voltages, has led to an intensely growing interest in new plasmonic materials such as doped semiconductors, 2D materials, and graphene. While graphene plasmonics has been well-studied in the IR, shifting the plasmon resonance of graphene to the visible region of the spectrum would require extremely small graphene structures with dimensions smaller than can be fabricated by the best currently available top-down fabrication methods. This is the length scale of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules, which can be regarded as picoscale versions of graphene, edge-passivated with hydrogen atoms.  Recent theoretical studies have predicted that charged PAH molecules with partially filled orbitals can possess molecular plasmon resonances.  While neutral PAH molecules exhibit large energy gaps, rendering them transparent in the visible region of the spectrum, the addition of removal of one or more electrons leads to strong absorption features in the visible wavelength range. Experimentally, PAHs can be incorporated into planar device geometries where they show outstanding potential as low-voltage, fast electrochromic media suitable for applications ranging from nanoscale optical components to large-area, color-changing walls or windows.<br/>

Molecular plasmons: A new take on an old molecule with new applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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