A review of the optical properties of alloys and intermetallics for plasmonics

TL;DR

This review analyzes various alternative materials like alloys, intermetallics, and doped metals for plasmonics, highlighting their optical limitations due to electronic transitions and scattering effects, and assessing their suitability for plasmonic applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive evaluation of the optical properties of alternative plasmonic materials, identifying key electronic factors affecting their performance.

Findings

Many alloys and intermetallics are unsuitable due to low frequency interband transitions.

Doped metals and metallic glasses are limited by electron scattering.

Partially occupied d-states hinder effective plasmonic behavior.

Abstract

Alternative materials are required to enhance the efficacy of plasmonic devices. We discuss the optical properties of a number of alloys, doped metals, intermetallics, silicides, metallic glasses and high pressure materials. We conclude that due to the probability of low frequency interband transitions, materials with partially occupied d-states perform poorly as plasmonic materials, ruling out many alloys, intermetallics and silicides as viable. The increased probability of electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering rules out many doped and glassy metals.