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Thermoplasmonic Nanorings via Sputter Deposition
Xavier Baami González1, Peter K Petrov2, Duncan S Sutherland1
1Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 27, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a scalable method to create metallic nanorings for enhanced light-matter interactions. These copper nanorings show superior solar-driven heating performance compared to nanodisks, promising for thermal management applications.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics and Nanophotonics
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Renewable Energy Technologies
Background:
- Precise fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures is crucial for light-matter interaction technologies.
- Scalable production of nanostructures for applications like sensing, photonics, and thermal management presents a significant challenge.
- Existing methods often lack scalability or precise geometric control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a versatile, self-assembly-based strategy for fabricating metallic nanorings.
- To enable tunable near-infrared (NIR) resonances in nanorings for thermoplasmonic applications.
- To evaluate the thermoplasmonic performance of fabricated nanorings under direct sunlight.
Main Methods:
- Extension of Hole-mask Colloidal Lithography (HCL) using ring-shaped holes.
- Direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering for nanoring deposition.
- Utilizing industry-standard thin-film techniques for wafer-scale integration.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated copper (Cu) nanorings with tunable NIR resonances.
- Demonstrated efficient photon-to-heat conversion under direct sunlight.
- Nanorings exhibited enhanced heating (13 °C increase) compared to nanodisks (6 °C increase), reaching ~37 °C.
Conclusions:
- Cu nanorings show superior thermoplasmonic performance due to their geometry, promoting enhanced light absorption and localized heating.
- The developed HCL method is robust, scalable, and compatible with industry standards.
- Cu nanorings represent a promising plasmonic platform for solar-driven technologies and thermal management.
