Rational design of functional oxide thin films with embedded magnetic or plasmonic metallic nanoparticles.

Getting into films: semiconductor thin films containing magnetic or plasmonic metal nanoparticles are key materials for the development of high-efficiency solar cells, bright light-emitting diodes, and new magnetoelectric devices. The catalytically driven chemical vapor deposition offers a unique way to combine deposition of the metallic nanoparticles with that of functional oxides to produce such films.