Directional scattering and hydrogen sensing by bimetallic Pd-Au nanoantennas

Nanoplasmonic sensing is typically based on quantification of changes in optical extinction or scattering spectra. Here we explore the possibility of facile self-referenced hydrogen sensing based on angle-resolved spectroscopy. We found that heterodimers built from closely spaced gold and palladium nanodisks exhibit pronounced directional scattering, that is, for particular wavelengths, much more light is scattered toward the Au than toward the Pd particle in a dimer. The effect is due to optical phase shifts associated with the material asymmetry and therefore highly sensitive to changes in the permittivity of Pd induced by hydrogen loading. In a wider perspective, the results suggest that directional scattering from bimetallic antennas, and material asymmetry in general, may offer many new routes toward novel nanophotonic sensing schemes.