Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Ian Lindsay
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Ian Lindsay |
| Job title | Teaching and Training Fellow in the Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials |
| Department | School of Physics University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 331 8092 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | B.Sc.(Birm.), M.Sc.(R'dg), Ph.D.(St.And.) |
| Professional details | |
| Keywords | nanophysics & soft matter localised infrared spectroscopy of nanostructured materials |
| Areas of expertise | Infrared spectroscopy is a well established method for determining parameters such as chemical composition and molecular structure, it cannot be readily applied to individual nanostructures as the diffraction-limited spatial resolution with infrared light is typically several microns. This can be overcome by using the metallised probe tip of an atomic force microscope to act as a "nano-antenna" allowing the near-field around individual nanostructures to be probed with a spatial resolution of 10nm or less. Such techniques, however, have been limited in their application to true spectroscopy by the lack of infrared lasers capable of tuning over wide spectral ranges. My research aims to address this problem through the application of optical parametric oscillators, laser-like sources based on nonlinear optical interactions, to existing near-field optical techniques. This approach will, it is intended, provide techniques which allow detailed investigation of the interplay between nanostructuring of materials and localised chemical properties. |