Seedless synthesis of gold nanorods by using hydrogen peroxide as a weak reducing agent

Abstract

A new seedless wet chemistry synthesis of gold nanorods by using hydrogen peroxide as the weak reducing agent is reported. A reduced concentration of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide is used in our experiment, and the synthesized gold nanorods exhibit tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks ranging from 725 to 945?nm. The influence on gold nanorods growth by adjusting the amounts of sodium hydroxide, silver nitrate, sodium borohydride, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were investigated by the visible-near infrared spectroscopy. Under the proper experimental parameters, the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks can be tuned by varying the hydrogen peroxide amounts. Furthermore, it can be seen that the redshift of the longitudinal absorption peak of the prepared gold nanorods with increasing hydrogen peroxide amount is consistent with the increase tendency of the length-to-width aspect ratio obtained from the transmission electron microscopy images. The method provides a facile pathway to prepare gold nanorods with tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peaks, which have potential applications in biomedicine and nanophotonics.     

Electronic modifications and surface reactivity of an ion bombarded graphite surface

The first steps of structural and electronic modifications of a graphite surface bombarded with argon, hydrogen and deuterium ions were investigated using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The energy and the damping of the low energy plasmon mode of graphite (E//C mode) were studied with respect to the bombardment settings. We show that argon bombardment affects the energy of the plasmon mode, while no similar change is observed after hydrogen (deuterium) bombardments. This can be related to the variation of inter-planar distance between two graphene layers. Moreover, the damping of the plasmon mode can be correlated with the interstitial defect concentration. Concerning the reactivity of the bombarded surfaces, we demonstrate that deuterium bombardment produce a non-deuterated surface. This last is very reactive to a further atomic deuterium exposure, as it is shown by the formation of C-D bondings. The deuterated sites can be removed after thermal annealings between 473 and 783 K. The occurrence of a chemical erosion mechanism accompanying this deuteration is discussed.     

Sxaps spectra of pyrolytic graphite as a function of the angle of incidence of the incoming electrons

Soft X-ray appearance potential (SXAPS) spectra of pyrolytic graphite as a function of the angle of incidence of the incoming electrons have been measured to obtain information about surface plasmon excitation. Plasmons can be coupled with a core hole and two slow electrons above the Fermi level or with a fast incoming electron. In the last case angular dependent plasmon excitation can be observed. Coupling with the fast incoming electron is observed, but band structure effects cannot be neglected to explain the observed structure. Measurements were performed on clean and hydrogen-contaminated pyrolytic graphite. A signal increase over the whole spectrum was observed after hydrogen contamination, probably due to a rearrangement of the surface lattice structure. Bombardment of the surface with electrons of 2 keV gave a decrease in spectral intensity probably due to surface damage.     

表面等离子共振金/钯复合膜氢敏传感器

提出了一种新颖的钯(Pd)/金(Au)复合膜表面等离子共振氢敏结构,与单一Pd膜氢敏传感器相比,具有可靠性好、灵敏度高和响应度大等特点。利用表面等离子共振理论建立了Au/Pd复合膜氢敏传感器的数学模型,并对Au/Pd复合膜氢敏传感器的灵敏度进行了数值模拟。数值模拟结果表明:基于Au(2nm)/Pd(20nm)复合膜氢敏传感器所获得的最佳灵敏度比单一Pd(20nm)膜氢敏传感器提高了49 4%。     

Untersuchung über den einfluss von adsorbierten gasen auf die elektronen-energieverlust-spektren einer Ni(110)-oberfläche

Electron energy loss spectra on a (110) nickel surface exhibit characteristic changes upon adsorption of H₂, CO and O₂. The clean surface shows only the surface and bulk plasmon losses at 8 eV and 18 eV respectively. Adsorption of CO produces two new loss peaks at 13.5 eV and 5.5 eV. Loss peaks due to hydrogen adsorption at 15 eV and 7.5 eV show a strong correlation with the well known adsorption characteristics of this system. The oxygen induced losses are different for chemisorbed O on Ni and NiO. In any case the chemisorption-induced losses are well established for primary energies below 120eV. In the loss spectra with higher excitation energies only a drastic decrease of the surface plasmon loss peak-height is visible. If the new losses can be attributed to one-electron excitations from molecular orbital levels due to the chemisorption bond, with assumptions of the final state of the excited electron a determination of the postition of these levels can be made. In case of CO and H₂ reasonable results are evaluated.     

Surface electron accumulation in indium nitride layers grown by high pressure chemical vapor deposition

Surface termination and electronic properties of InN layers grown by high pressure chemical vapor deposition have been studied by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). HREEL spectra from InN after atomic hydrogen cleaning show N-H termination with no indium overlayer or droplets and indicate that the layer is N-polar. Broad conduction band plasmon excitations are observed centered at 3400 cm⁻¹ in HREEL spectra with 7 eV incident electron energy which shift to 3100 cm⁻¹ when the incident electron energies are 25 eV or greater. The shift of the plasmon excitations to lower energy when electrons with larger penetration depths are used is due to a higher charge density on the surface compared with the bulk, that is, a surface electron accumulation. These results indicate that surface electron accumulation on InN does not require excess indium or In-In bonds.     

Dispersion and damping of a surface plasmon polariton on a one-dimensional randomly rough metal surface

Abstract

By the use of the reduced Rayleigh equation for the amplitude of a surface plasmon polariton on a one-dimensional randomly rough metal surface that is in contact with vacuum, we calculate the dispersion and damping of the surface electromagnetic wave to the lowest nonzero order in the rms height of the surface. It is found that the frequency of the surface plasmon polariton is depressed by the surface roughness. The attenuation of the surface plasmon polariton in the long wavelength limit is due primarily to its scattering into other surface plasmon polaritons, while in the short wavelength limit it is due primarily to its roughness-induced scattering into volume electromagnetic waves in the vacuum. The energy mean free path of the surface plasmon polariton is shorter on a randomly rough metal surface than it is on a lossy planar metal surface, and the surface plasmon polariton is more tightly bound to a rough surface than to a planar one.     

EELS plasmon studies of silver/carbon core/shell nanocables prepared by simple arc discharge

A method for the fabrication of large quantities of high quality silver nanocables encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (Ag@C) using a hydrogen arc is presented. A growth mechanism based on the generation of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons by the hydrogen arc is proposed. The size-dependent electronic structures of the resultant materials are investigated using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The surface plasmon and bulk-excitation character observed by EELS are discussed. As the diameter of Ag@C nanocable decreases, the surface and bulk plasmons of the silver core shift to lower energy and the peaks broaden. Measurements of electrical conductivity exhibits a liner current–voltage character with a conductivity of 0.5×10⁴ S/cm for the nanocable structure. PACS 81.05.Tp; 81.07.-b     

A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film

We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit （FOM） of a localized surface plasmon （LSP） sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis （RCWA） method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors.     

基于纳米天线的多通道高强度定向表面等离子体波激发

设计了一种带有纳米天线的金属微腔结构, 以实现高强度表面等离子的定向激发. 在利用双狭缝结构实现表面等离子体波定向激发的基础上, 分别结合共振增强和干涉相长原理, 在传统结构的入射端面上添加纳米天线结构, 并增加狭缝通道数, 实现了定向激发的表面等离子体波的能量增强. 基于纳米天线的多通道高强度定向表面等离子体波激发装置结构简单, 系统紧凑, 并能够有效提高定向传播的表面等离子体波的能量密度和传播距离, 其对微纳光学传输和高密度光学集成领域等方面的研究具有重要意义.     

Surface plasmon resonance in superperiodic metal nanoslits

A superperiodic metal nanoslits device is a surface plasmon resonance optical diffraction grating in which each line of the grating consists of an array of finite number metal nanoslits. The metal nanoslits, upon optical excitations, support localized surface plasmon resonance. The superperiod of the nanoslits causes the coherent radiation of the surface plasmon resonance into the far field with angular dispersion. Therefore, localized surface plasmon resonance in the metal nanoslits can be measured with a CCD or a linear photodetector array. In this Letter, we describe a surface plasmon resonance spectral sensor using a superperiodic gold nanoslits array without using an external optical spectrometer.     

Emergence of excited-state plasmon modes in linear hydrogen chains from time-dependent quantum mechanical methods

Explicitly time-dependent configuration-interaction theory is used to predict a new type of plasmonic behavior in linear hydrogen chains. After an intense ultrashort laser pulse brings the system into a broad superposition of excited states, the electronic dipole of the entire chain oscillates coherently, and the system is predicted to emit radiation at energies significantly lower than the first absorption band. A simple classical model accurately predicts the energy of this plasmon resonance for different hydrogen chain lengths and electron densities, demonstrating that collective, free-electron-like behavior can arise in chains of as few as 20 hydrogen atoms. The excitation mechanism for this plasmonic resonance is a highly nonlinear, multiphoton process, different from the linear excitation of ordinary surface plasmons.     

Scattering of surface plasmon-polaritons and volume waves by thin gold films

The specific features of elastic scattering of volume waves and surface plasmon polaritons by polycrystalline gold films have been investigated. An analysis of the relative scattered energy, power spectral density of surface roughness, and integral and angular dependences of scattering of waves of different nature indicates a strong nonradiative multiple scattering of surface plasmon polaritons in gold films. When roughness increases, this scattering leads to an increase in scattering isotropy and to a partial loss of structural information about gold films. The analysis of the scattered energy of surface plasmon polaritons with application of the data on multifractal dimension of gold surface indicates also that the radiative scattering of surface plasmon polaritons depends on both the rms surface roughness and the surface wave propagation length.     

Time-dependent scattering of a standing surface plasmon by rapid ionization in a semiconductor

Scattering of a standing surface plasmon by rapid ionization in a semiconductor is investigated. We show that, for a standing plasmon, in contrast with a traveling plasmon, the scattering depends on the plasmon phase at the moment of ionization. By changing the moment of ionization, we can control the energy that is transferred into newly excited modes, which include a frequency-upshifted standing surface plasmon, transient outgoing radiation, and free-streaming currents with a static magnetic field in the semiconductor. The phenomena that are described open new possibilities for probing the dynamics of surface excitations in semiconductors on an ultrashort time scale.     

层层自组装金纳米粒子表面等离子体引发光电流应用于等离子体增感太阳能电池

等离子体增感太阳能电池中,层层自组装金纳米粒子的表面等离子体共振能产生光电电流,金纳米粒子层的光电转换效率随表面等离子体共振强度的提升而增加。等离子体增感太阳能电池初步试验光电转换效能为0.75%。利用模型仿真电荷分离的现象、光电电流的产生,以及表面等离子体共振和光电电流产生之间的关系来解释实验结果。在未来,通过优化等离子体增感太阳能电池组件,可以进一步提升其转换效率。这在表面等离子体激活太阳能电池及等离子体太阳能电池领域将有很大应用潜力。     

周期地嵌入电介质球壳的金属表层的表面等离子激元及其与电介质腔体模式的耦合

通过观察金属底板中周期地嵌入电介质球壳的体系的光学吸收性质，研究了表面等离子激元 以及与其他电磁模式的耦合特性.在这种周期结构的金属表面，发现存在两种响应频率，分 别对应于表面等离子激元模式和金属中的电介质腔体模式.在这些响应频率上，可观察到与 它们相对应的吸收峰.由于金属的表面模式不能与平面入射光直接耦合，而腔体模式与平面 入射光和表面等离子激元模式的耦合一般较弱，因而通常情况下这些吸收峰的峰值有限.然 而，通过调整体系中的某些参数，可以使腔体模式和表面模式的频率非常接近，这时二者之 间的耦合强度将大大提高.此时，在相应的频率附近可观察到极强的吸收峰.详细地研究了介 质球壳的物理和几何参数对此共振吸收的影响. 关键词： 腔体模式 表面等离子体模式 共振吸收     

Second harmonic generation with surface plasmons in alkali metals

We calculate the reflected second harmonic light from alkali metal films with the simultaneous excitation of the surface plasmon mode. The harmonic generation from a sodium film at the ruby laser frequency increases by over two orders of magnitude at the angle for surface plasmon excitation. The harmonic enhancement is closely related to the surface plasmon density and exhibits a strong dependence on the angle of incidence, film thickness, and the linear optical constants of the metal film.     

Optical interaction in a plasmonic metallic particle chain coupled to a metallic film

We study the coupling of localized surface plasmon and surface plasmon polariton modes in a system composed of a metallic nanoparticle chain imbedded in a dielectric–metal–dielectric substrate. The results show the influence of outside parts and imbedded parts of particles on the interaction between localized surface plasmon and surface plasmon polariton modes. An enhancement can be observed in our structure. This kind of the structure has a very promising candidate for biosensing and surface enhanced spectroscopy applications.     

THz surface plasmon jump between two metal edges

We excite surface plasmon in the THz frequency range at a metal surface using a diffraction grating coupler. Then the excited surface plasmon propagates along the flat metal surface, scatters into free space at the sample edge and then couples onto the flat surface of a second device similar to the emitting one. Using THz time-domain spectroscopy, we study plasmon propagation and its coupling processes in time and frequency domains. We measure a surface plasmon propagation length, at a flat air-aluminum interface, smaller than expected. We report for the first time a high coupling efficiency of the THz surface plasmon field between the two grating devices separated by a several centimeters-thick air gap.