Topics in Particle and Dispersion Science

Plasmon resonance tuning: Introduction

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The first task in experimenting with plasmon resonance is to choose an appropriate material. The sources of info on the necessary optical properties of the relevant materials are cited in Plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles. The refractive index (optical constants) for a large number of elements over a wide range of wavelengths can be found in Palik ED 1998. In addition, Creighton JA and Eadon 1991 have calculated the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra for a wide variety of metal colloids.

Caution is advisable when using measured values of refractive index. Highly reactive metals quickly develop oxide coatings on their surfaces which completely change the optical properties. It is difficult to keep these surfaces clean, which accounts for contradictory experimental data. While this sensitivity to the status of the metal surface may be useful for biosensors and other applications, it can be disastrous for controlled experiments. For this reason gold, which is inert, is often the material of choice.

Plasmon resonances of metallic particle suspensions can be tuned in several ways: by changing the particle size, medium surrounding the particle(s), particle shape/structure/orientation. Some other tuning methods have also been reported.

See also plasmon resonance for additional references.

CITATION: Swanson N. L. 2008. Plasmon resonance tuning: Introduction (www.tpdsci.com/Tpc/PlasmResNptTun.php). In: Top. Part. Disp. Sci. (www.tpdsci.com).

HISTORY: Published: 25-Oct-2008 Modified: 19-Jun-2009 Peer-reviewed: PENDING

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