Correlating the Structure, Optical Spectra, and Electrodynamics of Single Silver Nanocubes

The plasmonic properties of noble metal nanoparticles have potential uses in a wide variety of technologies based on their optical response. Recent collaborative efforts among NU-MRSEC members demonstrates that correlated localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements can be used to obtain the optical response and detailed structural information for a single nanoparticle. By carefully incorporating the HRTEM structural details into finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) electrodynamics calculations, excellent agreement with the LSPR measurements is obtained.

nanocube

Correlated LSPR-HRTEM measurement of single nanocube:
(a) LSPR spectrum,
(b) HRTEM image, and
(c) HRTEM image with overlaid structural information (in nm). The FDTD calculated scattering cross section is also shown in panel (a) with open red circles.

 

Jeffrey M. McMahon, Yingmin Wang, Leif J. Sherry, Richard P. Van Duyne, Laurence D. Marks, Stephen K. Gray, and George C. Schatz

McMahon, J., Wang, Y., Sherry, L., Van Duyne, R., Marks, L., Gray, S. and Schatz, G; “Correlating the Structure, Optical Spectra, and Electrodynamics of Single Silver Nanocubes,” J. Phys. Chem. C, 113, 2731–2735 (2009). ABSTRACT

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The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF Award Number DMR-0520513. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
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