Modeling the Optical Properties of Nanoparticles

by Gunnar A. Niklasson SPIE Newsroom, accessed 10 May 2006 The optical properties of nanoparticles are important for both traditional and emerging technologies. Nanoparticles have long been used as coloring agents in glass and paints. Research on nanoparticle optics soared in the 1970s, due to the increased societal interest in solar-energy applications. Today, metallic nanoparticles are used in commercial coatings that absorb at particular solar wavelengths. Recently, the optical absorption of noble metal nanoparticles has been employed as the basis for novel sensors: the enhanced local fields close to particle surfaces makes it possible to detect single molecules by surface-enhanced spectroscopy. Read more