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Updated: Jan 23, 2026
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Fabrication of Periodic Gold Nanocup Arrays Using Colloidal Lithography
Published on: September 2, 2017
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Interference-Enhanced Plasmonic Photocatalysis via Periodically Ordered Ag Nanodisk Arrays
Zhihao Chai1, Jie Deng1, Kelu Wang1
1College of Physics, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|January 22, 2026
Summary
We developed a scalable method to create silver nanodisk arrays on silicon for enhanced photocatalysis. Smaller gaps between nanodisks significantly boost catalytic activity by amplifying electric fields.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Photocatalysis
Background:
- Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is crucial for photocatalysis.
- Controlling nanostructure periodicity enhances SPR effects.
- Silicon (Si) nanopillars offer a versatile template for nanostructure fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a scalable method for fabricating ordered Ag nanodisk arrays on Si nanopillars.
- To investigate the effect of nanodisk array periodicity on SPR-mediated photocatalysis.
- To optimize nanostructure design for enhanced photocatalytic performance.
Main Methods:
- Hybrid fabrication: Polystyrene (PS) nanosphere lithography followed by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE).
- Fabrication of Ag nanodisk arrays on Si nanopillar templates (Ag-SiO2-Si).
- Photocatalytic evaluation using a 633 nm laser and PATP-to-DMAB reaction model.
Main Results:
- Periodically ordered Ag nanodisk arrays were successfully fabricated.
- Arrays with 500 nm periodicity showed higher catalytic activity than 800 nm arrays.
- Enhanced activity correlated with increased local electric field (E-field) intensities due to subwavelength spacing.
Conclusions:
- Periodically ordered Ag nanodisk array design is a key factor in tuning SPR-mediated photocatalysis.
- Optimized nanostructure periodicity enhances photocatalytic efficiency.
- This approach provides a pathway for engineered nanostructures in sensing, energy, and chemical conversion.
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