Imperial College London

Dr Aliaksandra Rakovich, AFHEA

Faculty of Natural SciencesDepartment of Physics

Academic Visitor
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 6155a.rakovich Website CV

 
 
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Location

 

901bBlackett LaboratorySouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Application of biomimetic approaches to nanophotonic systems


Harvest, conversion and guiding of light is one of the influential achievements of science to date, resulting in development of telescopes, lasers, microscopes and optical communication fibres to name but a few. Correspondingly, the realisation of such critical processes, with high efficiencies and on nanoscales has monumental implications for future technologies including, but not limited to, integrated photonic circuitry.

Light-activated systems found in nature are prime examples of such nanoscale control of light. For example, within a few tens of nanometres, a membrane of a bacterial photosynthetic system includes several types of light-harvesting complexes, providing collection and a directional transfer of energy, and a transducing element, responsible for conversion of that energy to a different form.

Of great interest to me is the possibility to transpose the principles found in such naturally-occurring systems to analogous man-made materials and devices, with particular emphasis on the application of these principles to optical nanoantennas.

Light-harvesting_complex2

Selective localisation of materials with nanoscale precision

show research

Delivery and control of active materials to key locations is one of the greatest challenges of today. Progress in this area is key for development of future technologies.

My current research in this area focuses on selective localisation of QDs in the hotspots of nanoantennas using dielectrophoretic or chemical approaches, combining various localisation techniques for fabrication of structurally complex systems and the development of cost-effective localisation methods using convective and capillary forces.Localisation