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Colloidal Synthesis of Nanopatch Antennas for Applications in Plasmonics and Nanophotonics
Published on: May 28, 2016
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Solid-state synthesis of UV-plasmonic Cr2N nanoparticles.
Reem A Karaballi1, Yashar Esfahani Monfared1, Isobel C Bicket2
1Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|October 22, 2022
Summary
Researchers synthesized UV-plasmonic chromium nitride (Cr₂N) nanoparticles for applications in photocatalysis and bioimaging. These nanoparticles exhibit surface plasmons in the UV-C region, offering a novel alternative to visible-light plasmonic materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Plasmonic materials responding in the UV region are crucial for applications like photodegradation and bioimaging.
- Transition metal nitrides offer chemical and thermal stability, but typically show plasmonic responses in the visible/near-IR spectrum.
- Existing nitride nanostructures lack UV-region plasmonic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize UV-plasmonic chromium nitride (Cr₂N) nanoparticles.
- To characterize their structure, size, and surface properties.
- To investigate their plasmonic response in the UV region.
Main Methods:
- Solid-state nitridation reaction for nanoparticle synthesis.
- Characterization using electron microscopy and spectroscopy.
- Finite element method (FEM) calculations for LSPR prediction.
- Low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (L-EELS) for plasmon detection.
Main Results:
- Synthesized Cr₂N nanoparticles with an average diameter of 9 ± 5 nm.
- Particles exhibited a crystalline nitride core and an amorphous oxide/oxynitride shell (1-7 nm).
- FEM predicted localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the UV-C region (100-280 nm).
- L-EELS confirmed surface plasmons (80-250 nm) and bulk plasmons (50-62 nm).
- Observed plasmonic coupling between nanoparticles (250-400 nm).
Conclusions:
- Successfully synthesized UV-plasmonic Cr₂N nanoparticles.
- Demonstrated their potential for UV-region plasmonic applications.
- Highlighted the importance of L-EELS for characterizing UV plasmons in nanomaterials.
