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Plasmon-Coupled Gold Nanoparticles in Stretched Shape-Memory Polymers for Mechanical/Thermal Sensing
Prachi R Yadav1, Mehedi H Rizvi1, Björn Kuttich2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States.
ACS Applied Nano Materials
|August 6, 2026
Summary
Stretching gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in polymer films creates polarization-dependent optical responses. Thermal recovery restores the original isotropic state, enabling optical thermal history sensing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Optics
Background:
- The arrangement of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) dictates their surface plasmon coupling strength and polarization sensitivity.
- Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) of 15 nm average diameter were studied within shape-memory polymer films.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate plasmon coupling in Au NP-polymer composites before, during, and after mechanical stretching and thermal recovery.
- Explore the potential of these materials as optical sensors for thermal history.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of polymer films containing clustered Au NPs.
- Mechanical stretching of films to induce anisotropic NP arrangements.
- Optical spectroscopy to measure surface plasmon resonance (SPR) shifts.
- Structural characterization to confirm nanoscale isotropy/anisotropy.
- Computational simulations of NP dimer optical responses.
Main Results:
- Stretching induced significant polarization-dependent SPR shifts (19 nm redshift, 7 nm blueshift).
- Nanoscale non-uniform stretching explained the observed polarization dependence.
- Thermal recovery restored isotropy, eliminating polarization dependence.
- Simulations validated a plasmon ruler for interparticle spacing estimation.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates tunable plasmon coupling through mechanical deformation.
- Shape-memory polymers with Au NPs can act as optical sensors for thermal history.
