Plasmon coupling of gold nanorods at short distances and in different geometries

The experimentally determined scattering spectra of discrete, crystalline, gold nanorod dimers arranged side-to-side, end-to-end, at right angles in different orientations and also with longitudinal offsets are reported along with the electron micrographs of the individual dimers. The spectra exhibit both red- and blue-shifted surface plasmon resonances, consistent with the plasmon hybridization model. However, the plasmon coupling constant for gold dimers with less than a few nanometers separation between the particles does not obey the exponential dependence predicted by the Universal Plasmon Ruler equation. The experimentally determined spectra are compared with electrodynamic calculations and the interactions between the individual rod plasmons in different dimer orientations are elucidated.