Traditional metal nanostructures and thin-films are the fundamental building blocks for photonic devices, yet they are intrinsically limited by the pre-defined dielectric function, i.e. permittivity. Alternatively, the permittivity of alloyed structures can be engineered by tuning their chemical compositions, which allows for customization of the optical responses. Here we present several alloy-based systems (including Ag-Au, Al-Cu, Pd-Au, among others) and demonstrate how their optical properties are tailored with varying chemical compositions. Examples of their applications in super-absorbing, hydrogen sensing and hot carrier devices are also introduced.
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