Novel Multidimensional Visible Light Spectroscopy Tracks Optical Excitations
General Overview: Carbon nanotubes promise the
basis of exciting new classes of electronic and photonic materials with
unprecedented performance, for example, in solar cells and in transistors of
electronic devices. Whereas the properties
of single nanotubes are well understood, to make devices and technologies, it
is necessary to understand the behaviors of assemblies or bundles of these
materials. Recently, University of
Wisconsin-Madison researchers have pioneered a novel experimental method that
has provided important insight into the way in which packets of energy (“excitons”) are transported through carbon
nanotube composites. By flashing light
of different wavelengths onto the materials, the researchers were able to watch
the “flow” of energy through the system as it evolves in time. This improved
understanding is enabling new designs of versatile electronic and optical
devices.
