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Mechanotunable Surface Lattice Resonances in the Visible Optical Range by Soft Lithography Templates and Directed Self-Assembly
2019, Gupta, Vaibhav, Probst, Patrick T., Goßler, Fabian R., Steiner, Anja Maria, Schubert, Jonas, Brasse, Yannic, König, Tobias A.F., Fery, Andreas
We demonstrate a novel colloidal self-assembly approach toward obtaining mechanically tunable, cost-efficient, and low-loss plasmonic nanostructures that show pronounced optical anisotropy upon mechanical deformation. Soft lithography and template-assisted colloidal self-assembly are used to fabricate a stretchable periodic square lattice of gold nanoparticles on macroscopic areas. We stress the impact of particle size distribution on the resulting optical properties. To this end, lattices of narrowly distributed particles (∼2% standard deviation in diameter) are compared with those composed of polydisperse ones (∼14% standard deviation). The enhanced particle quality sharpens the collective surface lattice resonances by 40% to achieve a full width at half-maximum as low as 16 nm. This high optical quality approaches the theoretical limit for this system, as revealed by electromagnetic simulations. One hundred stretching cycles demonstrate a reversible transformation from a square to a rectangular lattice, accompanied by polarization-dependent optical properties. On the basis of these findings we envisage the potential applications as strain sensors and mechanically tunable filters. © 2019 American Chemical Society.
Exploiting Combinatorics to Investigate Plasmonic Properties in Heterogeneous Ag-Au Nanosphere Chain Assemblies
2021, Schletz, Daniel, Schultz, Johannes, Potapov, Pavel L., Steiner, Anja Maria, Krehl, Jonas, König, Tobias A.F., Mayer, Martin, Lubk, Axel, Fery, Andreas
Chains of coupled metallic nanoparticles are of special interest for plasmonic applications because they can sustain highly dispersive plasmon bands, allowing strong ballistic plasmon wave transport. Whereas early studies focused on homogeneous particle chains exhibiting only one dominant band, heterogeneous assemblies consisting of different nanoparticle species came into the spotlight recently. Their increased configuration space principally allows engineering multiple bands, bandgaps, or topological states. Simultaneously, the challenge of the precise arrangement of nanoparticles, including their distances and geometric patterns, as well as the precise characterization of the plasmonics in these systems, persists. Here, the surface plasmon resonances in heterogeneous Ag-Au nanoparticle chains are reported. Wrinkled templates are used for directed self-assembly of monodisperse gold and silver nanospheres as chains, which allows assembling statistical combinations of more than 109 particles. To reveal the spatial and spectral distribution of the plasmonic response, state-of-the-art scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy accompanied by boundary element simulations is used. A variety of modes in the heterogeneous chains are found, ranging from localized surface plasmon modes occurring in single gold or silver spheres, respectively, to modes that result from the hybridization of the single particles. This approach opens a novel avenue toward combinatorial studies of plasmonic properties in heterosystems. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Direct Observation of Plasmon Band Formation and Delocalization in Quasi-Infinite Nanoparticle Chains
2019, Mayer, Martin, Potapov, Pavel L., Pohl, Darius, Steiner, Anja Maria, Schultz, Johannes, Rellinghaus, Bernd, Lubk, Axel, König, Tobias A.F., Fery, Andreas
Chains of metallic nanoparticles sustain strongly confined surface plasmons with relatively low dielectric losses. To exploit these properties in applications, such as waveguides, the fabrication of long chains of low disorder and a thorough understanding of the plasmon-mode properties, such as dispersion relations, are indispensable. Here, we use a wrinkled template for directed self-assembly to assemble chains of gold nanoparticles. With this up-scalable method, chain lengths from two particles (140 nm) to 20 particles (1500 nm) and beyond can be fabricated. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy supported by boundary element simulations, finite-difference time-domain, and a simplified dipole coupling model reveal the evolution of a band of plasmonic waveguide modes from degenerated single-particle modes in detail. In striking difference from plasmonic rod-like structures, the plasmon band is confined in excitation energy, which allows light manipulations below the diffraction limit. The non-degenerated surface plasmon modes show suppressed radiative losses for efficient energy propagation over a distance of 1500 nm. © 2019 American Chemical Society.