Infrared light radiates from almost all the matter on earth, and its strategic use will be an important issue for the enhancement of human life and the sustainable development of modern industry. Since its frequency is in the same region as phonons or molecular vibrations of materials, measuring its emission or absorption spectra helps us in characterizing and identifying materials in a non-destructive manner. Meanwhile, if we can spectroscopically design infrared emission by tuning chemical composition or artificially controlling nano- to mesoscale structures, this will have a great impact on industrial applications, such as thermophotovoltaics, energy-saving drying furnaces, spectroscopic infrared light sources, and various types of infrared sensors. In this Special Issue, we encourage submissions from researchers who are working on infrared nanophotonics based on MEMS/NEMS, and nanomaterials science, ranging from materials synthesis, to device fabrications, electromagnetic simulations, and thermal managements. Important topics of growing interest are wavelength-selective infrared emitters and detectors, where we can see rapid development in the fields of nano-plasmonics and metamaterials, and we invite such topics for inclusion in this Special Issue. We also encourage submissions on nano-materials science such as on graphene-based infrared detectors/emitters, and nanostructured narrow-band gap semiconductors.

Laser ablation refers to the phenomenon in which a low wavelength and short pulse (ns-fs) duration of laser beam irradiates the surface of a target to induce instant local vaporization of the target material generating a plasma plume consisting of photons, electrons, ions, atoms, molecules, clusters, and liquid or solid particles. This book covers various aspects of using laser ablation phenomenon for material processing including laser ablation applied for the deposition of thin films, for the synthesis of nanomaterials, and for the chemical compositional analysis and surface modification of materials. Through the 18 chapters written by experts from international scientific community, the reader will have access to the most recent research and development findings on laser ablation through original research studies and literature reviews.

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) electrodes are key components in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices such as organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) or organic emitting devices (OLEDs). Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) results in TCO coatings with adequate optical and electrical properties, the preservation of the target chemical composition in the transferred films being the major advantage of this technique. Furthermore, the performance of the optoelectronic devices can be enhanced by patterning the TCO electrodes. Indium tin oxide (ITO) remains the most popular TCO due to its high conductivity and transparency. The scarcity of the indium resources encouraged the efforts to find an alternative to ITO, a promising candidate being Al-doped ZnO (AZO). Therefore, this chapter is focused on PLD deposition of TCO films (ITO and AZO) on patterned glass substrates prepared by ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) for obtaining transparent electrodes with improved characteristics, which further can be integrated in optoelectronic applications.

Plasmonics is entering the curriculum of many universities, either as a stand alone subject, or as part of some course or courses. Nanotechnology institutes have been, and are being, established in universities, in which plasmonics is a significant topic of research. Modern Plasmonics offers a comprehensive presentation of the properties of surface plasmon polaritons, in systems of different structures and various natures, e.g. active, nonlinear, graded, theoretical/computational and experimental techniques for studying them, and their use in a variety of applications. - Contains material not found in existing books on plasmonics, including basic properties of these surface waves, theoretical/computational and experimental approaches, and new applications of them - Each chapter is written by an expert in the subject to which it is devoted - Emphasis on applications of plasmonics that have been realized, not just predicted or proposed

This book provides insight into research and development of key aerospace materials that have enabled some of the most exciting air and space technologies in recent years. The stories are shared with you by the women who experienced them, those engineers and scientists in the labs, on the shop floors, or on the design teams contributing to the realization of these technologies. Their work contributes to the world in the challenging and vital field of aerospace materials, and their stories seethe with a pride and a passion for the opportunity to make these important contributions. As an important part of the Women in Science and Engineering book series, the work highlights the contribution of women leaders in Aerospace Materials, inspiring women and men, girls and boys to enter and apply themselves to secure our future in an increasingly connected world.

This contributed volume summarizes recent theoretical developments in plasmonics and its applications in physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and medicine. It focuses on recent advances in several major areas of plasmonics including plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies, light scattering, many-body effects, nonlinear optics, and ultrafast dynamics. The theoretical and computational methods used in these investigations include electromagnetic calculations, density functional theory calculations, and nonequilibrium electron dynamics calculations. The book presents a comprehensive overview of these methods as well as their applications to various current problems of interest.