1. Centro de Física, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal;2. Centro de Matemática, Centro de Física e Departamento de Matemática e Aplica??es, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
Abstract:
This work demonstrates the formation of Ag fractals on top of a Ag:TiO2 thin film. The dendrite‐type objects emerged from a homogeneous and highly transparent Ag:TiO2 nanocomposite, via the mechanism of diffusion‐limited‐aggregation of Ag atoms, during heat‐treatment at 500 °C. A porous TiO2 matrix was also formed during this process, opening a wide range of possible applications, namely in sensing‐based ones, together with surface enhanced spectroscopies. Furthermore, fractals incorporate a wide range of shapes and spatial scales, inducing a potentially interesting optical response, over the whole visible range, presumably related with localized surface plasmon modes with very broad spectral distribution.
