Shapes, Plasmonic Properties, and Reactivity of Magnesium Nanoparticles

Localized surface plasmon resonances have attracted much attention due to their ability to enhance light-matter interactions and manipulate light at the subwavelength level. Recently, alternatives to the rare and expensive noble metals Ag and Au have been sought for more sustainable and large-scale plasmonic utilization. Mg supports plasmon resonances, is one of the most abundant elements in earth's crust, and is fully biocompatible, making it an attractive framework for plasmonics. This feature article first reports the hexagonal, folded, and kite-like shapes expected theoretically from a modified Wulff construction for single crystal and twinned Mg structures and describes their excellent match with experimental results. Then, the optical response of Mg nanoparticles is overviewed, highlighting Mg's ability to sustain localized surface plasmon resonances across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared electromagnetic ranges. The various resonant modes of hexagons, leading to the highly localized electric field characteristic of plasmonic behavior, are presented numerically and experimentally. The evolution of these modes and the associated field from hexagons to the lower symmetry folded structures is then probed, again by matching simulations, optical, and electron spectroscopy data. Lastly, results demonstrating the opportunities and challenges related to the high chemical reactivity of Mg are discussed, including surface oxide formation and galvanic replacement as a synthetic tool for bimetallics. This Feature Article concludes with a summary of the next steps, open questions, and future directions in the field of Mg nanoplasmonics.