Magnetic composites based on gold-functionalized YIG or Ce-YIG nanoparticles – CANDYCE

Yttrium-Iron garnet, doped or not with cerium, is a magneto-optical (MO) material with a strong Faraday effect, offering potential applications in insulators or circulators in integrated optics platforms. Faced with the technological challenge of integrating it into these platforms, this project proposes to achieve Ce-YIG nanoparticles (NPs) with optimized size, morphology and functionalization aimed at developing a Ce-YIG@Au/alkoxysilanes composite MO material. The NPs (<20 nm), synthesized by a solvothermal process based on YAG seeds, will be coated with a layer of gold to give them interesting magneto-plasmonic properties. The resulting core-shell particles will then be surface-functionalized and dispersed in formulation alkoxysilane-based sol. The NPs will also be optimized to obtain single-domain nano-rods whose shape anisotropy gives a preferred direction to the magnetic moment. By orienting these moments during elaboration, the final composite will have a magnetic remanence enabling a self-polarized MO material to be obtained. The final composite material will then be inserted at the heart of unconventional photonic devices, such as a suspended-core fiber, to create integrated insulators.