Multi-Functional Applications of H-Glass Embedded with Stable Plasmonic Gold Nanoislands

Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) are synthesized using various techniques on diverse substrates that significantly impact their properties. However, among the substrate materials investigated, the major challenge is the stability of MNPs due to their poor adhesion to the substrate. Herein, it is demonstrated how a newly developed H-glass can concurrently stabilize plasmonic gold nanoislands (GNIs) and offer multifunctional applications. The GNIs on the H-glass are synthesized using a simple yet, robust thermal dewetting process. The H-glass embedded with GNIs demonstrates versatility in its applications, such as i) acting as a room temperature chemiresistive gas sensor (70% response for NO₂ gas); ii) serving as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the identifications of Nile blue (dye) and picric acid (explosive) analytes down to nanomolar concentrations with enhancement factors of 4.8 × 10⁶ and 6.1 × 10⁵ , respectively; and iii) functioning as a nonlinear optical saturable absorber with a saturation intensity of 18.36 × 10¹⁵ W m^-2 at 600 nm, and the performance characteristics are on par with those of materials reported in the existing literature. This work establishes a facile strategy to develop advanced materials by depositing metal nanoislands on glass for various functional applications.