Domantas Peckus

Dynamic optical properties of amorphous diamond-like carbon nanocomposite films doped with Cu and Ag nanoparticles

The investigation of relaxation processes in noble metal nanoparticles upon ultrafast excitations by femtosecond laser pulses is useful to understand the origin and the enhancement mechanism of the nonlinear optical properties for metaldielectric nanocomposites. In the current work we analyze diamond like carbon (DLC) film based copper and silver nanocomposites with different metal content synthesized employing unbalanced magnetron sputtering of metal targets with argon ions in acetylene gas atmosphere. Surface morphology and nanoparticle sizes were analyzed employing scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. Optical properties of the nanocomposite films were analyzed employing UV-VIS-NIR spectrometry. Transient absorption measurements were obtained employing Yb:KGW femtosecond laser spectroscopic system (HARPIA, Light Conversion Ltd.). Energy relaxation dynamics in Cu nanoparticles showed some significant differences from Ag nanoparticles. The increase of excitation intensity hasn’t show additional nonlinear effects for the excited state relaxation dynamics for both kinds of samples.

Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer States in Trinary Star-Shaped Triphenylamine-Based Compounds

Excited state dynamics of trinary star-shaped dendritic compounds with triphenylamine arms and different cores were studied by means of time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption. Under optical excitation, nonpolar C3 symmetry molecules form polar excited states localized on one of the molecular substituents. Conformational excited state stabilization of molecules with an electron-accepting core causes a formation of twisted internal charge transfer (TICT) states in polar solvents. A low transition dipole moment from TICT state to the ground state causes very weak fluorescence of those compounds and strong dependence on the solvent polarity. The compound formed from the triphenylamine central core and identical arms also experiences excited state twisting, however, weakly sensitive to the solvent polarity.

Photovoltaic Properties and Ultrafast Plasmon Relaxation Dynamics of Diamond-Like Carbon Nanocomposite Films with Embedded Ag Nanoparticles

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with embedded Ag nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) and photovoltaic properties of heterojunctions consisting of DLC:Ag and crystalline silicon (DLC:Ag/Si) were investigated by means of transient absorption (TAS) spectroscopy and photovoltaic measurements. The heterojunctions using both p type and n type silicon were studied. It was found that TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films were dependent on the used excitation wavelength. At wavelengths where Ag nanoparticles absorbed light most intensively, only DLC signal was registered. This result is in good accordance with an increase of the DLC:Ag/Si heterojunction short circuit current and open circuit voltage with the excitation wavelength in the photovoltaic measurements. The dependence of the TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films and photovoltaic properties of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures on the excitation wavelength was explained as a result of trapping of the photoexcited hot charge carriers in DLC matrix. The negative photovoltaic effect was observed for DLC:Ag/p-Si heterostructures and positive (“conventional”) for DLC:Ag/n-Si ones. It was explained by the excitation of hot plasmonic holes in the Ag nanoparticles embedded into DLC matrix. Some decrease of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures photovoltage as well as photocurrent with DLC:Ag film thickness was observed, indicating role of the interface in the charge transfer process of photocarriers excited in Ag nanoparticles.

Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Response of Resonantly Coupled Silver Nanoparticle–Organic Dye Complexes

The influence of metal nanoparticles on linear and nonlinear optical properties of surrounding organic molecules has been widely investigated, whereas much less attention has been paid to the influence of molecules on properties of nanoparticles. Here, we employ transient absorption spectroscopy to address the nonlinear optical responses of the resonantly coupled silver nanoparticle–organic dye systems and demonstrate that silver nanoparticles covered with dye molecules show enhanced and spectrally different nonlinear extinction changes from pristine nanoparticles. We identify changes of the plasmon resonance band of nanoparticles induced by excitation of surrounding dye. We attribute these exciton–plasmon coupling effects to the excitation-induced refractive index modifications of the dye layer surrounding a nanoparticle and to the back-transfer of the oscillator strength borrowed by the dye from the nanoparticle.

ULTRAFAST OPTICAL PROBING OF CARRIER MOTION IN CONJUGATED POLYMERS AND BLENDS FOR SOLAR CELLS

We discuss application of time-resolved carrier mobility measurement methods for investigation of the carrier motion in organic semiconductors. We demonstrate that ultrafast optical probing of the electric field dynamics by means of the field-induced second harmonic generation together with conventional electrical methods enable monitoring of the charge carrier motion starting from their generation until extraction from the samples. We shortly discuss the electric field dynamics in neat conjugated polymer and in blend of organic molecules with fullerene.