NANOSCALE CHARACTERIZATION

Members
Dr. Mahfujur Rahaman Dr. Teresa Isabel Picoto Pena Madeira M.Sc.Jana Kalbáčová M. Sc. Lu He M. Sc. Ilya Milekhin M. Sc. Yang Pan Lukas Hertling Former Members: Dr. Raul David Rodriguez, M.Sc. Evgenia Sheremet, B.Sc. Susanne Müller

Members

Former Members:

Topics
Tip- and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS and SERS); Plasmonic nanostructures; Nano-optics Quantum dot structures Characterization of carbon nanotube nanostructures and devices Two-dimensional nanomaterials: graphene, gallium selenide, molybdenum disulfide, and other layered compounds Novel scanning probe techniques Custom made probes; Finite element method simulations (FEM) of plasmonic and mechanical properties of AFM probes; FEM simulations of TERS and SERS configurations Numerical simulations of dynamic AFM

Topics

Tip- and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS and SERS); Plasmonic nanostructures; Nano-optics
Quantum dot structures
Characterization of carbon nanotube nanostructures and devices
Two-dimensional nanomaterials: graphene, gallium selenide, molybdenum disulfide, and other layered compounds
Novel scanning probe techniques
Custom made probes; Finite element method simulations (FEM) of plasmonic and mechanical properties of AFM probes; FEM simulations of TERS
and SERS configurations
Numerical simulations of dynamic AFM

Equipment
Atomic force microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, current sensing AFM; temperature dependent capabilities Tip- and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS and SERS) ANSYS: finite element simulation package

Examples

Figure 1: A custom-made tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy setup comprising a Horiba Labram HR800 Raman Spectrometer and Agilent 5520 AFM has been developed in our team. The device is operated in the side illumination/collection configuration which allows the study of all kinds of surfaces regardless of their electrical conductivity or optical transparency.	Figure 2: One of the most critical components of any TERS experiment is the tip. In our group we have developed the technology to fabricate fully functional all-metal cantilevers that can also be used for electrical measurements in AFM. These tips completely overcome the main limitation of traditional metal-coated probes.	Figure 3: Two-dimensional materials beyond graphene are a main topic in our research. Thanks to the nanocharacterization capabilities that we are continuously developing, it is possible and convenient accessing information about the conductivity, photoluminescence, and Raman response of these nanomaterials.