Tuning the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoclusters by oxygen exposure and low-energy plasma annealing

Nanotechnology. 2013 Feb 1;24(4):045606. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/24/4/045606. Epub 2013 Jan 8.

Abstract

Real-time surface differential reflectance spectroscopy in the visible range is used to study the optical response of silver nanoclusters, prepared by magnetron sputtering deposition, during cyclic treatments in different oxygen atmospheres and low-energy bias argon plasma. Changes in the reflectance show that the exposure to non-ionized (or partially ionized) oxygen causes a red-shift and damping (or complete vanishing) of the resonance, while bias plasma annealing induces the opposite effects, due to oxygen desorption and structural reshaping of the nanoclusters. These results open up new opportunities for developing plasmon-based devices with high tunability of the surface plasmon resonance (energy, width and amplitude) due to an interplay between morphological and chemical modifications of the nanoclusters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Argon / chemistry
  • Crystallization / methods
  • Hardness
  • Hot Temperature
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Materials Testing
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Metal Nanoparticles / ultrastructure*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Oxygen / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Plasma Gases / chemistry*
  • Silver / chemistry*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance / methods*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Plasma Gases
  • Silver
  • Argon
  • Oxygen