Probing elasticity at the nanoscale: Terahertz acoustic vibration of small metal nanoparticles

Polarizing effect of aligned nanoparticles in terahertz frequency region

We report the polarizing behavior of aligned Ni nanoparticles (NPs) having average diameter of 165±15 nm in ~210 μm thick polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix in the frequency range of 0.2-1.6 THz. The NPs have been prepared via a wet chemical route and then aligned in PVA film by using an external magnetic field. When the polarization of THz electric field is parallel to the NPs alignment direction, a strong THz absorption is observed whereas a minimum THz absorption is noticed for the corresponding perpendicular configuration. Degree of polarization is calculated to be 0.9±0.08. Considering the good polarizing performance, ease of preparation, durability, and low maintenance, this aligned NP system is a perfect candidate to emerge as a potential THz polarizer.

Damping of acoustic vibrations of immobilized single gold nanorods in different environments

We present measurements of the acoustic vibrations of single gold nanorods deposited on a glass substrate immersed in air and water by ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. The nanorods display two vibration modes, the breathing mode and the extensional mode. The damping time of the two modes is influenced by the environment, and a reduction of the quality factor is observed when the particles are immersed in water. The reduced quality factor of the breathing mode is in good agreement with a model that takes into account viscous damping and radiation of sound waves into the medium. The extension mode, however, is heavily damped when the particles are immersed in water, which is attributed to hydrodynamic lubrication forces between the nanoparticle and the glass substrate. Our results identify a new mode of damping in supported nanoparticles and indicate that the immersion medium can have different effects on different modes of vibration.

Coherent control of GHz resonant modes by an integrated acoustic etalon

By carefully tuning the thickness of a compliant thin film placed within an acoustic cavity, we achieve coherent control of the cavity's acoustic resonances, analogous to the operation of an optical etalon. This technique is demonstrated using a supported membrane oscillator in which multiple high-frequency harmonic resonances are simultaneously optoexcited by an ultrafast laser. Theoretical and computational methods are used to analyze the selective strengthening or suppression of these resonances by constructive or destructive interference.

Radial vibration of free anisotropic nanoparticles based on nonlocal continuum mechanics

Radial vibration of spherical nanoparticles made of materials with anisotropic elasticity is theoretically investigated using nonlocal continuum mechanics. The anisotropic elastic model is reformulated using the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen. The nonlocal differential equation of radial motion is derived in terms of radial displacement. Cubic, hexagonal, trigonal and tetragonal symmetries of the elasticity are discussed. The suggested model is justified by a good agreement between the results given by the present model and available experimental data. Furthermore, the model is used to elucidate the effect of small scale on the vibration of several nanoparticles. Our results show that the small scale is essential for the radial vibration of the nanoparticles when the nanoparticle radius is smaller than 1.5 nm.

Phonons in slow motion: dispersion relations in ultrathin Si membranes

We report the changes in dispersion relations of hypersonic acoustic phonons in free-standing silicon membranes as thin as ∼8 nm. We observe a reduction of the phase and group velocities of the fundamental flexural mode by more than 1 order of magnitude compared to bulk values. The modification of the dispersion relation in nanostructures has important consequences for noise control in nano- and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) as well as opto-mechanical devices.

Acoustic Vibrations in Bimetallic Au@Pd Core-Shell Nanorods

The acoustic vibrations of gold nanorods coated with palladium were investigated as a function of Pd amount using ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Both the extensional and breathing vibrational modes of the nanorods were coherently excited and detected. This permits precise determination of their periods, which were found to decrease and increase with Pd deposition, for the extensional and vibrational modes, respectively. These opposite behaviors reflect changes of the nanoparticle size and mechanical properties, in agreement with numerical simulations. Comparison of experimental and computed periods yields information on the amount of deposited Pd, providing a novel tool to characterize bicomponent nano-objects for small fractions of one of the components (Pd/Au atomic fraction down to 5%).

Damping of acoustic vibrations of single gold nanoparticles optically trapped in water

We combine ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy with optical trapping to study homogeneous damping of the acoustic vibrations of single gold nanospheres (80 nm diameter) and nanorods (25 nm diameter by 60 nm length) in water. We find a significant particle-to-particle variation in damping times. Our results indicate that vibrational damping occurs not only by dissipation into the liquid, but also by damping mechanisms intrinsic to the particle. Our experiment opens the study of mechanisms of intrinsic mechanical dissipation in metals at frequencies 1-1000 GHz, a range that has been difficult to access thus far.

The role of particle geometry and mechanics in the biological domain

Nanostructured particulate materials are expected to revolutionize diagnostics and the delivery of therapeutics for healthcare. To date, chemistry-derived solutions have been the major focus in the design of materials to control interactions with biological systems. Only recently has control over a new set of physical parameters, including size, shape, and rigidity, been explored to optimize the biological response and the in vivo performance of nanoengineered delivery vectors. This Review highlights the methods used to manipulate the physical properties of particles and the relevance of these physical properties to cellular and circulatory interactions. Finally, the importance of future work to synergistically tailor both physical and chemical properties of particulate materials is discussed, with the aim of improving control over particle interactions in the biological domain.

Damping of the acoustic vibrations of individual gold nanoparticles

In this letter, the ultrafast vibrational dynamics of individual gold nanorings has been investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Two acoustic vibration modes have been detected and identified. The influence of the mechanical coupling at the nanoparticle/substrate interface on the acoustic vibrations of the nano-objects is discussed. Moreover, by changing the environment of the nanoring, we provide a clear evidence of the impact of the surrounding medium on the damping of the acoustic vibrations. Such results are reported here for the first time on individual nanoparticles. This work points out a new sensing method based on the sensitivity of the acoustic vibration damping to the surrounding medium.

Low sensitivity of acoustic breathing mode frequency in Co nanocrystals upon change in nanocrystallinity

Cobalt nanocrystals (NCs) with narrow size distribution and polycrystalline structure in their native form are synthesized in reverse micelles. After annealing at 350 °C, these NCs are transformed into single crystalline phase with hexagonal close-packed structure. The vibrational dynamics of NCs differing by their nanocrystallinity is studied by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. By recording the differential reflectivity signal in the native and annealed Co NCs, the frequency of their fundamental breathing acoustic mode can be measured in the time domain. A small decrease of the breathing mode frequency is observed in single crystalline Co NCs compared to that measured in polycrystals, indicating low sensitivity of their fundamental radial mode upon change in crystallinity. This result is in agreement with predictions from calculations using the resonant ultrasound approach.

Acoustic vibrations of metal-dielectric core-shell nanoparticles

The acoustic vibrations of metal nanoparticles encapsulated in a dielectric shell (Ag@SiO(2)) were investigated using a time-resolved femtosecond technique. The measured vibration periods significantly differ from those predicted for the bare metal cores and, depending on the relative core and shell sizes, were found to be either larger or smaller than them. These results show that the vibration of the whole core-shell particle is excited and detected. Moreover, vibrational periods are in excellent agreement with the predictions of a model based on continuum thermoelasticity. However, such agreement is obtained only if a good mechanical contact of the metal and dielectric parts of the core-shell particle is assumed, providing a unique way to probe this contact in multimaterial or hybrid nano-objects.

Nanoantenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy of a single gold nanoparticle

Optical nanoantennas, just like their radio-frequency equivalents, enhance the light-matter interaction in their feed gap. Antenna enhancement of small signals promises to open a new regime in linear and nonlinear spectroscopy on the nanoscale. Without antennas especially the nonlinear spectroscopy of single nanoobjects is very demanding. Here we present the first antenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy. In particular, we use the antenna to determine the nonlinear transient absorption signal of a single gold nanoparticle caused by mechanical breathing oscillations. We increase the signal amplitu-de by an order of magnitude, which is in good agreement with our analytical and numerical models. Our method will find applications in linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of single nanoobjects, especially in simplifying such challenging experiments as transient absorption or multiphoton excitation.

Optical nanoantennas can be used for spectroscopic investigations at previously unattainable dimensions. Schumacher et al. describe time-resolved antenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy and determine the transient absorption signal of a single gold nanoparticle.