Localized ZnO Growth on a Gold Nanoantenna by Plasmon-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis

Surface-Plasmon-Assisted Growth, Reshaping and Transformation of Nanomaterials

Excitation of surface plasmon resonance of metal nanostructures is a promising way to break the limit of optical diffraction and to achieve a great enhancement of the local electromagnetic field by the confinement of optical field at the nanoscale. Meanwhile, the relaxation of collective oscillation of electrons will promote the generation of hot carrier and localized thermal effects. The enhanced electromagnetic field, hot carriers and localized thermal effects play an important role in spectral enhancement, biomedicine and catalysis of chemical reactions. In this review, we focus on surface-plasmon-assisted nanomaterial reshaping, growth and transformation. Firstly, the mechanisms of surface-plasmon-modulated chemical reactions are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of recent advances on plasmon-assisted self-reshaping, growth and etching of plasmonic nanostructures. Then, we discuss plasmon-assisted growth/deposition of non-plasmonic nanostructures and transformation of luminescent nanocrystal. Finally, we present our views on the current status and perspectives on the future of the field. We believe that this review will promote the development of surface plasmon in the regulation of nanomaterials.

Plasmon Tuning of Liquid Gallium Nanoparticles through Surface Anodization

In this work, tunable plasmonic liquid gallium nanoparticles (Ga NPs) were prepared through surface anodizing of the particles. Shape deformation of the Ga NPs accompanied with dimpled surface topographies could be induced during electrochemical anodization, and the formation of the anodic oxide shell helps maintain the resulting change in the particle shape. The nanoscale dimple-like textures led to changes in the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength. A maximal LSPR red-shift of ~77 nm was preliminarily achieved using an anodization voltage of 0.7 V. The experimental results showed that an increase in the oxide shell thickness yielded a negligible difference in the observed LSPR, and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations also suggested that the LSPR tunability was primarily determined by the shape of the deformed particles. The extent of particle deformation could be adjusted in a very short period of anodization time (~7 s), which offers an efficient way to tune the LSPR response of Ga NPs.

Polarization-controlled anisotropy in hybrid plasmonic nanoparticles

Anisotropy has played a critical role in many material systems, but its controllable creation and modulation have been a long-lasting challenge for the scientific communities. Polarization-addressed anisotropy appears more attractive among all approaches due to its excellent controllability, simplicity, and accuracy, but only a limited number of material systems are applicable for such a concept, which are largely focused on oriented growth. Here, we establish a polarization-dependent anisotropic etching system made of Au@oligomer core-shell nanoparticles (NPs). As the oligomer coatings can be photochemically degraded via two-photon photolithography, the plasmonic near-field enhancement supported by the Au NP cores renders much faster degradation of the oligomer shells along the polarization, resulting in anisotropic Au@oligomer hybrid NPs. Such shape anisotropy leads to polarization-dependent photoluminescence with embedded dyes of methylene blue, which can be used as single-particle-based polarization detector. The oligomer lobes capped at the sides of the Au NP can also function as a protection agent for anisotropic photochemical growth of Au NPs, which evolve into Au nanorods and mushrooms with controlled irradiation time. Such polarization-directed etching of oligomer shells has unique advantages of high local-selectivity, controllability, and versatility for on-chip nanofabrication, which opens many new opportunities for integrated nanophotonic devices.

An enhanced plasmonic photothermal effect for crystal transformation by a heat-trapping structure

Photothermal utilization is an important approach for sustaining global ecological balance. Due to the enhancement of light absorption through surface plasmon resonance, silver or gold nanostructures can be used as efficient photothermal heat sources in visible and near-infrared regions. Herein, a heat-trapping system of self-assembled gold nanoislands with a thin Al₂O₃ layer is designed to significantly enhance the photothermal effect, which can contribute to a fast crystal transformation. Compared with pure gold nanoislands, an approximately 10-fold enhancement of the photothermal conversion efficiency is observed by using the heat-trapping layer, which results from enhanced light absorption and efficient heat utilization. With the heat-trapping layer, a relatively high and stable photothermal conversion efficiency is realized even at low temperature, and the thermal stability of the plasmonic nanostructure is also observed to improve, especially for silver nanoislands used in air. These results provide a strong additional support for the further development of photothermal applications and offer an efficient pathway for the thermal manipulation of plasmons at the nanoscale.

Driving energetically unfavorable dehydrogenation dynamics with plasmonics

Nanoparticle surface structure and geometry generally dictate where chemical transformations occur, with higher chemical activity at sites with lower activation energies. Here, we show how optical excitation of plasmons enables spatially modified phase transformations, activating otherwise energetically unfavorable sites. We have designed a crossed-bar Au-PdH _x antenna-reactor system that localizes electromagnetic enhancement away from the innately reactive PdH _x nanorod tips. Using optically coupled in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy, we track the dehydrogenation of individual antenna-reactor pairs with varying optical illumination intensity, wavelength, and hydrogen pressure. Our in situ experiments show that plasmons enable new catalytic sites, including dehydrogenation at the nanorod faces. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that these new nucleation sites are energetically unfavorable in equilibrium and only accessible through tailored plasmonic excitation.

Fundamentals and applications of photo-thermal catalysis

Photo-thermal catalysis has recently emerged as an alternative route to drive chemical reactions using light as an energy source.

Cooperation of Hot Holes and Surface Adsorbates in Plasmon-Driven Anisotropic Growth of Gold Nanostars

Light-driven synthesis of plasmonic metal nanostructures has garnered broad scientific interests. Although it has been widely accepted that surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-generated energetic electrons play an essential role in this photochemical process, the exact function of plasmon-generated hot holes in regulating the morphology of nanostructures has not been fully explored. Herein, we discover that those hot holes work with surface adsorbates collectively to control the anisotropic growth of gold (Au) nanostructures. Specifically, it is found that hot holes stabilized by surface adsorbed iodide enable the site-selective oxidative etching of Au⁰, which leads to nonuniform growths along different lateral directions to form six-pointed Au nanostars. Our studies establish a molecular-level understanding of the mechanism behind the plasmon-driven synthesis of Au nanostars and illustrate the importance of cooperation between charge carriers and surface adsorbates in regulating the morphology evolution of plasmonic nanostructures.