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Aluminum nanoparticles
Downconversion
Dye molecule
Metallic nanoparticles
Nonlinear optical process
Optical field
Physical mechanism
Resonant scattering
Thin film solar cells
Visible-wavelength range
Volume effect
Aluminum
Nanoparticles
metal nanoparticle
article
chemistry
radiation scattering
spectrofluorometry
ultraviolet radiation
Metal Nanoparticles
Scattering, Radiation
Spectrometry, Fluorescence
Ultraviolet Rays
Abstract:
Metallic nanoparticles are known to enhance nonlinear optical processes due to a local enhancement of the optical field. This strategy has been proposed to enhance downconversion in thin film solar cells, but has various disadvantages, among which is the fact that the enhancement occurs only in a tiny volume close to the particles. We report on a very different physical mechanism that can lead to significant downconversion enhancement, namely, that of resonant light scattering, and which is a large volume effect. We show that only a tiny amount of resonantly scattering metallic (aluminum) nanoparticles is enough to create a significant enhancement of the fluorescence of dye molecules in the visible wavelength range. The strategy can be applied in general to increase the emission of UV-absorbing constituents, and is of particular use for solar energy. © 2012 Optical Society of America.
