Design of lumpy metallic nanoparticles for broadband and wide-angle light scattering

Broadband and wide-angle light scattering media are highly desirable in photonic applications. In this paper, we theoretically investigate the light scattering properties of lumpy nanoparticles of silver, aluminum, and copper compared to those of smooth nanospheres with the same volume. The lumpy nanoparticles are found to provide broadband scattering enhancement over the smooth nanoparticles in a variety of dielectric environments. A maximum 18 enhancement in angular scattering for Al lumpy particles was found. More importantly, near-field scattering intensity mapping confirms that the enhanced scattering is achieved in all directions, making them more attractive in diverse photonic applications.