Plasmonic materials

We provide an overview of the way in which different approaches to nanostructuring metals can lead to a wealth of interesting optical properties and functionality through manipulation of the plasmon modes that such structures support, a field known as plasmonics. The increasing interest in plasmonics derives in large measure from the interplay between better fabrication techniques and an awareness of the potential that controlled plasmon modes have to offer. The combination of nanometer-scale fabrication techniques and increasingly sophisticated numerical modeling capabilities thus enables a significant advance in our understanding of the science underlying plasmonics. Here, we survey some of the different structures that have been explored. We hope that this Review will spur others to continue the exploration of this fascinating topic.