Disordered plasmonic system with dense copper nano-island morphology

Dry synthesis is a highly versatile method for the fabrication of nanoporous metal films, since it enables easy and reproducible deposition of single or multi-layers of nanostructured materials that can find intriguing applications in plasmonics, photochemistry and photocatalysis, to name a few. Here, we extend the use of this methodology to the preparation of copper nano-islands that represent an affordable and versatile example of disordered plasmonic substrates. Although the island morphology is disordered, the high density of these nanostructures with large surface area results in a good homogeneity on a macroscale, which is beneficial for plasmonic applications such as bio-sensing and photo-catalysis. With cathodoluminescence and electron-energy-loss spectroscopies we confirm the nano-islands as sources of the local field enhancement and identify the plasmonic resonance bands in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. The decay dynamics of the plasmonic signal are slower in the nano-island as compared to bulk copper films, which can be rationalized by a reduced energy dissipation in the nano-island films. Our study demonstrates a robust and lithography-free fabrication pathway to obtain nanostructured plasmonic copper substrates that represent a highly versatile low-cost alternative for future applications ranging from sensing to photochemistry and photocatalysis.