RESEARCH INTERESTS
Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in Semiconductor Nanocrystals
Irradiation of electromagnetic radiation onto a material with high carrier density leads to collective oscillations of the charge carriers. When the frequency of these oscillations matches that of electromagnetic radiation, an intense optical effect known as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is achieved. LSPR is characterized by high extinction coefficients, strong near-field enhancements, and the formation of hot spots. While traditionally it has been achieved from noble metal nanocrystals, doped semiconductor nanocrystals also exhibit LSPR, however with stark differences due to surface chemistry and electronic structure. Research in Tandon's laboratory is focused on designing new systems for LSPR, unraveling fundamental parameters governing the tunability of plasmonic NCs, and unraveling new applications for LSPR of semiconductor NCs.
Magneto-Optics Properties of Semiconductor Nanocrystals
Due to the existence of unique structural defects and intentionally incorporated dopants (both magnetic and non-magnetic), semiconductor nanocrystals tend to exhibit rich magneto-optical properties. Magneto-optics investigations using techniques such as Magnetic Circular Dichroism spectroscopy coupled with other techniques provide rich insights into the photophysics, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of functional materials. A major focus of Tandon's laboratory is to design and explore materials for spintronic applications and investigate their magneto-optics (and magneto-electric) properties.
Manipulating Fundamental Interactions between Dopants in SC NCs
Intentional incorporation of foreign atoms/ions in a host lattice (also known as doping) is usually performed to enhance an existing functionality or introduce another functionality in the material. The incorporation of multiple dopants in the same host lattice can result in interactions between the dopants leading to multifunctional materials. Controlling the extent of these interactions would allow an additional degree of freedom over the functionalities of these materials. Tandon's laboratory is going to indulge in the synthesis of complex heterostructure formations for manipulating fundamental interactions between the dopants and the functionalities exhibited by them.