Guest: Hasan Kurt, Medipol University

Title: Plasmonics: from Physics to Applications

Date/Time: April 4, 2024, 13:00 - 14:00

Location: FMAN G060

Abstract: Plasmonics and the faithfully related field of metamaterials have been among the most active and exciting areas of photonics over the last two decades. The distinctive ability of plasmonic nanostructures is to condense high amounts of optical energy into sub-wavelength volumes beyond the diffraction limit, enabling linear and nonlinear optical processes. The properties of surface plasmons are strongly related to the materials used and the geometry of the nanostructures. The meticulously designed nanostructures or metamaterials of metals, semiconductors, and 2D materials can enable the tuning of plasmonic resonances ranging from UV to mid-IR. Plasmonic nanostructures can promote a wide range of light-matter interaction processes and be a highly promising candidate for sensing, photovoltaics, nonlinear optics, and photocatalysis. 

The central theme of this talk will revolve around the design of novel plasmonic metamaterials, the engineering of alternative plasmonic materials, and their plasmonic applications. In particular, demonstrations of plasmon-enhanced photovoltaics, metamaterials for chemical and biological sensing, plasmonic hot- electron-based photocatalysis, and photodetection will be covered in this talk.

Bio: Dr. Hasan Kurt received his B.Sc. degree in Materials Science and Engineering and a minor in Physics from Sabancı University, where he graduated with distinction in 2006. He completed his Ph.D. studies on plasmon-enhanced organic photovoltaics at Sabancı University in 2016. Dr. Kurt joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering of Istanbul Medipol University as a faculty member in 2017. His research projects were funded by TUBITAK, COST, TEYDEB, and the Ministry of Industry and Technology. He is also the founder of Nanosolar Plasmonics Ltd., a start-up company that commercializes optical setups and plasmonics applications. Currently, Dr. Kurt is serving as a UKRI MSCA research fellow at Imperial College London, where he focuses on cutting-edge research in soft robotics.