Walter Duley

Professor

Office: PHY 249
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 33108
Email: wwduley@uwaterloo.ca

Research interests

• Optics of nanoparticle systems
• Generation and spectral characterization of novel carbon nanoparticle compositions
• DFT calculation of electronic and vibrational states
• Mass spectrometric studies of femtosecond/nanosecond laser ablation
• Role of nanoparticles in astrochemistry and astrobiology
• Properties of nano-assembled carbon films

Present research activities

Nanostructures are the building blocks of most physical, chemical and biological systems, This general theme is the basis for my research work involving the generation and characterization of carbon nanoparticles. As a result, our research involves aspects of physics, chemistry and materials science with applications ranging from microelectronics to astrochemistry. A focus of recent work has been in identifying the composition of interstellar carbon nanoparticles and the possible role that they may play in astrochemistry. While this is fundamental work, the novel materials that we generate are also of industrial interest, since they exhibit unique mechanical and electronic characteristics. I also have a strong interest in studying the effects of intense laser radiation with matter, particularly processes associated with laser ablation on fs and ns timescales. We use time of flight mass spectrometry to determine molecular species emitted during laser ablation. Energy levels in these particles are being studied in the laboratory via infrared, Raman (SERS) and UV spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) is also used (Gaussian ‘10) to simulate vibrational states in large carbon molecules/nanoparticles. The development of plasmon resonances in carbon nanoparticles is a function of hydrogenation and is being studied spectroscopically. These particles may have important applications in the new field of plasmonics.

Recent publications

• Self-Assembly of Large-Scale andUltrathin Silver Nanoplate Films withTunable Plasmon Resonance Properties Xiao-Yang Zhang, Anming Hu, Tong Zhang, Wei Lei, Xiao-Jun Xue, Yunhong Zhou and Walt W. Duley, ACS Nano, online Sept. 28, 2011
• Excitation of the aromatic infrared emission bands: chemical energy in hydrogenated amorphous carbon particles? W. W. Duley and D. A. Williams, Astrophysical Journal, 737, L44-46, 2011
• Polyyne synthesis and amorphous carbon nano-particle formation by femtosecond Irradiation of benzene, M.J. Wesolowski , S. Kuzmin, B. Moores, B. Wales, R. Karimi, A.A. Zaidi, Z. Leonenko, J.H. Sanderson, W.W. Duley, Carbon, 49, 1625-1630, 2011
• Multilayer cyclic C6 structures intercalated with metal atoms, S. Kuzmin and W. W. Duley, Phys. Rev. A83, 022507, 2011
• Femtosecond Laser-Induced Nanowelding: Fundamentals and Applications, A. Hu, Y. Zhou and W.W. Duley, The Open Surface Science Journal, 3, 1-8, 2011
• Time of flight mass spectrometry of polyyne formation in the irradiation of liquid alkanes with femtosecond laser pulses, A.A. Zaidi, A. Hu, M.J. Wesolowski, X. Fu, J.H. Sanderson, Y. Zhou, W.W. Duley, Carbon, 48, 2517-2520, 2010
• Numerical analysis of deep sub-wavelength integrated plasmonic devices based on semiconductor-Insulator-Metal strip waveguides, Xiao-Yang Zhang, A. Hu, J. Z. Wen, Tong Zhang, 1, Xiao-Jun Xue, Y. Zhou, and W. W. Duley, Optics Express, 18, 18945-18959, 2010
• Ab initio calculations of a new type of tubular carbon molecule based on multi-layered cyclic C6 structures, Stanislav Kuzmin, Walter W. Duley, Physics Letters, A374, 1374-1379, 2010
• Field effects on the electronic and spin properties of undoped and doped graphene nanodots Huaixiu Zheng and Walter Duley, Physical Review B, 78, 155118, 2008
• Femtosecond pulsed laser deposition and optical properties of diamond-like amorphous carbon films embedded with sp-bonded carbon chains, Anming Hu, M. Rybachuk, Qing-Bin Lu, Walt W. Duley, Diamond and Related Materials, 17, 1643-1646, 2008
• Optical and microstructural properties of diamond-like carbon films grown by pulsed laser deposition, A. Hu, I. Alkhesho, H. Zhou and W.W. Duley, Diamond and Related Materials, 16, 149-154, 2007
• High resolution spectra of carbon nanoparticles: laboratory simulation of the infrared emission features associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, A. Hu, I. Alkhesho and W.W. Duley, Astrophysical Journal, 653, L157-L160, 2006
• Cryogenic graphitization of submicrometer grains embedded in nanostructured tetrahedral amorphous carbon films, A. Hu, I. Alkhesho and W.W. Duley, Journal of Applied Physics, 100, 084319, 2006
• Carbonaceous matter in the interstellar medium, W.W. Duley, “Astrochemistry: from laboratory studies to astronomical observations. Eds. R. I Kaiser et al., AIP Conference Proceedings, vol 855, pp194-200, 2006