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Measurement of Scattering Nonlinearities from a Single Plasmonic Nanoparticle
Published on: January 3, 2016
Study on the behavior of hyper-rayleigh scattering for silver nanoparticles with aggregation effects
Gang Wang1, Yu Zhang, Yiping Cui
1Department of Electronic Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, People's Republic of China.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|July 21, 2006
Summary
Silver nanoparticle aggregation significantly enhances Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) signals. This study reveals an optimal aggregate size for maximum nonlinear optical response, crucial for advanced optical materials.
Area of Science:
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry
- Nonlinear Optics
- Nanomaterials Science
Background:
- Silver nanoparticles exhibit unique optical properties influenced by size and aggregation.
- Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) is a sensitive technique for probing nonlinear optical responses.
- Electromagnetic field enhancement near aggregated nanoparticles is key to amplified optical signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of aggregation on the HRS signals of silver nanoparticles.
- To correlate nanoparticle morphology and interparticle distance with nonlinear optical enhancement.
- To determine the optimal aggregate size for maximizing the HRS response.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of highly monodisperse silver nanoparticles (10.5 nm diameter).
- Measurement of absorption spectra and Hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) signals.
- Characterization of nanoparticle morphology and aggregation using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and size distribution analysis.
Main Results:
- Observed significant enhancement of HRS signals (15x with KNO(3), 6x with pyridine) upon aggregation.
- Identified chain-like aggregation morphology in TEM images.
- Attributed enhanced second-order nonlinearity to localized electromagnetic field enhancement between closely spaced nanoparticles.
- Found an optimal aggregate size yielding maximum HRS response.
Conclusions:
- Nanoparticle aggregation dramatically enhances nonlinear optical properties through electromagnetic field coupling.
- The degree of enhancement depends on the interparticle distance and aggregate morphology.
- There exists an optimal size for silver nanoparticle aggregates to achieve maximum HRS signal, important for designing advanced optical sensors and devices.
