Formation of pure Cu nanocrystals upon post-growth annealing of Cu–C material obtained from focused electron beam induced deposition: comparison of different methods

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Alfredo Rodrigues Vaz,
• Yucheng Zhang,
• Andrzej Rudkowski,
• Czesław Kapusta,
• Rolf Erni,
• Stanislav Moshkalev and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1508–1517, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.156

• ], thermal sensors [8], photodetectors [9], and mode stabilizers for vertical surface emitting lasers [10]. Other deposits were used as ferromagnetic wires [11][12], superconducting wires [13], plasmonic structures [14], or as electrode nanocontacts [15][16]. The feasibility of obtaining 3D nanostructures

Growth and morphological analysis of segmented AuAg alloy nanowires created by pulsed electrodeposition in ion-track etched membranes

• Ina Schubert,
• Loic Burr,
• Christina Trautmann and
• Maria Eugenia Toimil-Molares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1272–1280, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.131

• moderate temperatures. This allows one to increase the number of created gaps, and also modifies the shape of the remaining segments to more rounded ends. These nanowires separated by small gaps or connected by small junction are excellent candidates as model systems for plasmonic characterizations with

Attenuation, dispersion and nonlinearity effects in graphene-based waveguides

• Almir Wirth Lima Jr.,
• João Cesar Moura Mota and
• Antonio Sergio Bezerra Sombra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1221–1228, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.125

• development of nanoscale devices, which are also faster and more efficient than traditional devices found today. The nanoscale dimensions of graphene-based plasmonic devices allow for their integration into electronic and photonic integrated circuits. Since there are many nanophotonic devices based on

Polymer blend lithography for metal films: large-area patterning with over 1 billion holes/inch²

• Cheng Huang,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1205–1211, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.123

• Al templates were fabricated in this work by metal PBL. The wavelength-selective optical transmission spectra due to the localized surface plasmonic effect of the holes in perforated Al films were investigated and compared to the respective hole diameter histograms. Keywords: localized surface

• plasmonic resonance; metal islands; metal nanostructures; metal polymer blend lithography (metal PBL); nano-patterned template; nanoscale discs; optical transmission; perforated metal film; polymer phase separation; poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); polystyrene (PS); self-assembly; spin-coating; surface

• statistically the same size as the holes in Figure 3a. In general, metal PBL is a good supplementary to the conventional lithographic methods for fabrication of structures in hundreds of nanometer or even sub-100 nanometer range in a versatile and up-scalable way. Localized surface plasmonic resonance of

Superluminescence from an optically pumped molecular tunneling junction by injection of plasmon induced hot electrons

• Kai Braun,
• Xiao Wang,
• Andreas M. Kern,
• Hilmar Adler,
• Heiko Peisert,
• Thomas Chassé,
• Dai Zhang and
• Alfred J. Meixner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1100–1106, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.111

• plasmonic nano- and microstructures has recently been predicted and experimentally realized [30][31][32]. Considering the fact that the Raman scattering and PL emission processes originate in the very center of the tip–substrate gap, any generated photon will firstly couple to the gap mode before being

• . Depletion of the HOMO via elastic tunneling to the tip and generation of hot electrons by irradiating the plasmonic system with incident laser light apparently leads to a population inversion between an empty HOMO-level and the higher energy level of hot electrons; thus gain is expected under the very

• results demonstrate how optical enhancement inside the plasmonic cavity can be further increased by localization via tunneling through a molecule. We anticipate that stimulated emission from a tunneling junction will advance our fundamental understanding of quantum plasmonics and lead to new analytical

Patterning technique for gold nanoparticles on substrates using a focused electron beam

• Takahiro Noriki,
• Shogo Abe,
• Kotaro Kajikawa and
• Masayuki Shimojo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1010–1015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.104

• substrate. This technique could contribute to the fabrication of plasmonic devices and other applications that require the controlled placement of gold nanoparticles on substrates. Keywords: electron beam; gold; nanoparticle array; Introduction Plasmonic waveguides and circuits utilizing localized surface

• plasmons in silver nanowires and the emission of photons at the end of the nanowires. Branching is considered necessary to make integrated photonic/plasmonic circuits. The plasmon propagation on branched silver nanowires was also experimentally demonstrated [4]. However, most of these experiments were

• ]. However, nanostructures made by these techniques generally have low purity as they contain a large amount of carbon, and thus, the structures need to be coated with gold or silver for use in plasmonic devices. Therefore, a manageable, practical, and not too complicated technique for fabricating

Electromagnetic enhancement of ordered silver nanorod arrays evaluated by discrete dipole approximation

• Guoke Wei,
• Jinliang Wang and
• Yu Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 686–696, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.69

• neglected compared to the plasmonic resonance width in metal nanosystems, leading to a fourth-power dependence [26], To evaluate the EF of SERS for the nanostructures, we calculated the sum and the average of the EF within a unit cell of the periodic lattice over the available surface area except the bottom

Synergic combination of the sol–gel method with dip coating for plasmonic devices

• Cristiana Figus,
• Maddalena Patrini,
• Francesco Floris,
• Lucia Fornasari,
• Paola Pellacani,
• Gerardo Marchesini,
• Andrea Valsesia,
• Flavia Artizzu,
• Daniela Marongiu,
• Michele Saba,
• Franco Marabelli,
• Andrea Mura,
• Giovanni Bongiovanni and
• Francesco Quochi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 500–507, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.52

• 10.3762/bjnano.6.52 Abstract Biosensing technologies based on plasmonic nanostructures have recently attracted significant attention due to their small dimensions, low-cost and high sensitivity but are often limited in terms of affinity, selectivity and stability. Consequently, several methods have been

• employed to functionalize plasmonic surfaces used for detection in order to increase their stability. Herein, a plasmonic surface was modified through a controlled, silica platform, which enables the improvement of the plasmonic-based sensor functionality. The key processing parameters that allow for the

• fine-tuning of the silica layer thickness on the plasmonic structure were studied. Control of the silica coating thickness was achieved through a combined approach involving sol–gel and dip-coating techniques. The silica films were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, contact angle

Hollow plasmonic antennas for broadband SERS spectroscopy

• Gabriele C. Messina,
• Mario Malerba,
• Pierfrancesco Zilio,
• Ermanno Miele,
• Michele Dipalo,
• Lorenzo Ferrara and
• Francesco De Angelis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 492–498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.50

• complex and multifaceted system that includes many types of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and various other components. With the final aim of studying these components in detail, we have developed multiband plasmonic antennas, which are suitable for highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• (SERS) and are activated by a wide range of excitation wavelengths. The three-dimensional hollow nanoantennas were produced on an optical resist by a secondary electron lithography approach, generated by fast ion-beam milling on the polymer and then covered with silver in order to obtain plasmonic

• large enhancement of the vibrational features both in the case of resonant excitation and out-of-resonance excitation. Such characteristics indicate that these structures are potential candidates for plasmonic enhancers in multifunctional opto-electronic biosensors. Keywords: biosensing; multiband

Palladium nanoparticles anchored to anatase TiO₂ for enhanced surface plasmon resonance-stimulated, visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

• Kah Hon Leong,
• Hong Ye Chu,
• Shaliza Ibrahim and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 428–437, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.43

• plasmonic Au nanoparticles deposited on top of TiO2 [27]. While Mohapatra et al. had synthesized TiO2 nanotubes with palladium (Pd) NPs for the photocatalytic decomposition of azo dyes under sunlight irradiation. Pd/TiO2 nanotubes showed a faster degradation time (150 min) to completely decompose azo dye as

• photoactivity. There are several synthesis methods available for preparing plasmonic photocatalysts, namely photodeposition [3][30][31], hydrothermal [4][32][33][34], ion exchange [35][36], chemical reduction [25][37][38], physical vapour deposition [27][39][40], and deposition–precipitation [41][42][43]. Among

Influence of size, shape and core–shell interface on surface plasmon resonance in Ag and Ag@MgO nanoparticle films deposited on Si/SiO_x

• Sergio D’Addato,
• Daniele Pinotti,
• Maria Chiara Spadaro,
• Guido Paolicelli,
• Vincenzo Grillo,
• Sergio Valeri,
• Luca Pasquali,
• Luca Bergamini and
• Stefano Corni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 404–413, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.40

• the Ag NPs caused a red shift of the plasmon excitation, and served to preserve its existence after prolonged (five months) exposure to air, realizing the possibility of technological applications in plasmonic devices. The Ag NP and Ag@MgO NP film features in the SDR spectra could be reproduced by

• bare Ag NPs, while it is preserved when Ag NPs are co-deposited with MgO, even in the limit of ultrathin (tMgO = 1.3 nm) protective layers. This result is relevant for possible applications in photovoltaics and in other fields where Ag NPs are used for their plasmonic properties. Conclusion The results

• prolonged exposure to air was also demonstrated, providing the possibility of employing MgO as a transparent coating in plasmonic devices. Experimental and Computational Details Ag NP and Ag@MgO NP films were prepared in an experimental system with three interconnected vacuum chambers described elsewhere in

Comparative evaluation of the impact on endothelial cells induced by different nanoparticle structures and functionalization

• Lisa Landgraf,
• Ines Müller,
• Peter Ernst,
• Miriam Schäfer,
• Christina Rosman,
• Isabel Schick,
• Oskar Köhler,
• Hartmut Oehring,
• Vladimir V. Breus,
• Thomas Basché,
• Carsten Sönnichsen,
• Wolfgang Tremel and
• Ingrid Hilger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 300–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.28

• positive). Gold nanoparticles exhibit strong light scattering and absorption at their resonance wavelength due to their plasmonic properties [1][2]. Thus, these particles are used for optical imaging approaches [3][4]. Moreover, applications as contrast media for CT [5][6] and for selective cell targeting

Green preparation and spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic silver nanoparticles using fruits as reducing agents

• Jes Ærøe Hyllested,
• Marta Espina Palanco,
• Nicolai Hagen,
• Klaus Bo Mogensen and
• Katrin Kneipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 293–299, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.27

• absorption band in the UV. This confirms the evolution of silver nanoparticles from silver clusters. The presence of various silver clusters on the surface of the “green” plasmonic silver nanoparticles is also supported by a strong multicolor luminesce signal emitted by the plasmonic particles during 473 nm

• catalyst, as antibacterial agents in medicine or plasmonic active structures in optical sensing and imaging [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These broad fields of applications generate a strong interest also in the preparation of metal nanoparticles. Many methods have been invented to synthesize nanoparticles, which

• parameters in the chemical preparation process which enables synthesis of many different nanoparticles regarding size and morphology. Here we study the formation of silver nanoparticles using fruit extracts from oranges and pineapples and check their capability as enhancing plasmonic structures for surface

Tunable light filtering by a Bragg mirror/heavily doped semiconducting nanocrystal composite

• Ilka Kriegel and
• Francesco Scotognella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 193–200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.18

• plasmonic absorption properties. Here, we propose the design of an actively tunable light filter composed of a Bragg mirror and a layer of plasmonic semiconductor NCs. We demonstrate that the filtering properties of the coupled device can be tuned to cover a wide range of frequencies from the visible to the

• utilized the Mie theory to describe the carrier-dependent plasmonic properties of the Cu2−x Se NC dispersion and the effective medium theory to describe the optical characteristics of the ITO film. The transmission properties of the Bragg mirror have been modelled with the transfer matrix method. We

• voltage to conducting films of metal oxide NCs [33]. In a recent study, the modulation of transmittance was electrochemically achieved in layers of transparent conducting NCs, such as ITO [34][35][36]. Moreover, plasmonic effects have been exploited for electrochromic applications for the direct

Exploring plasmonic coupling in hole-cap arrays

• Thomas M. Schmidt,
• Maj Frederiksen,
• Vladimir Bochenkov and
• Duncan S. Sutherland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.1

• The plasmonic coupling between gold caps and holes in thin films was investigated experimentally and through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations. Sparse colloidal lithography combined with a novel thermal treatment was used to control the vertical spacing between caps and hole arrays and

• attracted interest by combining simple production [8] and both unique properties such as bending of light [9] resulting from reduced symmetry compared to nanoshells and other more common plasmonic effects such as enhanced local electromagnetic fields [8]. Another related plasmonic structure of interest

• electromagnetic fields. These enhanced local electromagnetic fields of the different plasmonic structures have been applied to enhance optical transitions such as in Raman spectroscopy [12] (as surface enhanced Raman scattering – SERS) and fluorescence [13] (as surface enhanced fluorescence – SEF) where the

Mammalian cell growth on gold nanoparticle-decorated substrates is influenced by the nanoparticle coating

• Christina Rosman,
• Sebastien Pierrat,
• Marco Tarantola,
• David Schneider,
• Eva Sunnick,
• Andreas Janshoff and
• Carsten Sönnichsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2479–2488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.257

• ; gold; nanoparticles; Introduction Over the last decade, the biomedical applications for gold nanoparticles have become increasingly diverse due to their small size and plasmonic nature [1]. The plasmon resonance wavelength of the nanoparticle, which exhibits strong light scattering and absorption, can

• from the sample is detected. Although the resolution is not powerful enough to image the actual particle shape, the gold nanorods scatter the light so efficiently (due to their plasmonic property) that the particles appear as bright spots on a dark background [1][4]. The spot size is more than 20 times

Poly(styrene)/oligo(fluorene)-intercalated fluoromica hybrids: synthesis, characterization and self-assembly

• Giuseppe Leone,
• Francesco Galeotti,
• William Porzio,
• Guido Scavia,
• Luisa Barba,
• Gianmichele Arrighetti,
• Giovanni Ricci,
• Chiara Botta and
• Umberto Giovanella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2450–2458, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.254

• microfabrication system. Such patterns hold great promise for several up-to-date applications, including nanostructures for optoelectronic devices [28][29][30], microfiltration membranes [31][32], and plasmonic sensors [33]. In a recently published study [11], we applied the BF pattering technique to a hybrid

• the photochemical oxidation by blocking the oxygen penetration. The possibility to organize the polymer nanocomposite by BF technique opens to intriguing applications such as optoelectronic devices, microfiltration membranes, and plasmonic sensors. Experimental Reagents Sodium-exchanged Somasif ME100

Low-cost plasmonic solar cells prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis

• Erki Kärber,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Valdek Mikli,
• Arvo Mere,
• Ilmo Sildos and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2398–2402, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.249

• the smaller absorbing volume. The use of mesoporous TiO2 or ZnO nanorods provides increased surface area of the absorber, while the introduction of metal nanoparticles allows photons to be captured via plasmonic effects [1][2][3][4]. This work attempts to utilize the advantages of the plasmon effect

• photocurrent due to the plasmonic effects of NPs have been demonstrated, for example, for thin film Si solar cells [3], polymer cells [10][11], dye-sensitized cells [12][13] and for solar cells that use ultrathin inorganic absorber layers [14]. However, the use of an in-line spray method for the deposition of

• the solar cell, including the plasmonic NPs within the cell, has not yet been published. In the present study, Au-NP layers are deposited by CSP at various stages of the solar cell preparation. This work investigates which locations within the solar cell are optimal for the deposition of Au-NPs in

Inorganic Janus particles for biomedical applications

• Isabel Schick,
• Steffen Lorenz,
• Dominik Gehrig,
• Stefan Tenzer,
• Wiebke Storck,
• Karl Fischer,
• Dennis Strand,
• Frédéric Laquai and
• Wolfgang Tremel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2346–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.244

• nanoparticles. The properties emphasized in this review range from the monodispersity and size-tunability and, therefore, precise control over size-dependent features, to the biomedical application as theranostic agents. Hence, we show their optical properties based on plasmonic resonance, the two-photon

• conjugation to Ag nanoparticles when combined to form Ag@Fe3O4 dumbbell-like hetero-nanoparticles [47]. Moreover, plasmonic photocatalysts combine two prominent features: a Schottky junction enhancing charge separation and surface plasmon resonance, which is responsible for strong absorption of visible light

• to the optical transitions in amorphous TiO2 leading to enhanced optical absorption and, thus, generation of electron–hole pairs for photocatalysis (Figure 6a,b) [50]. Furthermore, plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cells based on Au@TiO2 nanostructures show remarkably enhanced power conversion

Localized surface plasmon resonances in nanostructures to enhance nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies: towards an astonishing molecular sensitivity

• Dan Lis and
• Francesca Cecchet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2275–2292, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.237

• of plasmon resonances that makes the amplification irregular over a broad frequency window, and because of the restricted choice of efficient plasmonic materials over the extended IR range [2][4][5][6]. More successfully, the coupling with plasmon resonances has enhanced the Raman signal by a factor

• difficult to tailor metallic nanostructures that can support very broad or multi-frequency resonances, only partial and limited plasmonic oscillations are usually obtained. Therefore, though very high theoretical enhancements have been predicted (up to 1012 for SE-CARS [50]), this is barely reproduced in

• enhancement of the non-resonant SFG intensity from the metallic surface itself was mentioned to be greater than 104. Later in 1999, the authors demonstrated the feasibility to use a similar plasmonic substrate to amplify the resonant SFG signals of copper phthalocyanine and fullerene films adsorbed onto the

Hybrid spin-crossover nanostructures

• Carlos M. Quintero,
• Gautier Félix,
• Iurii Suleimanov,
• José Sánchez Costa,
• Gábor Molnár,
• Lionel Salmon,
• William Nicolazzi and
• Azzedine Bousseksou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2230–2239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.232

• controlled manner and additionally, the gold was removed from the core (Figure 4). As expected by the authors, the new NPs containing a gold core display both properties: the plasmonic optical property provided by the gold and the magnetic interactions from the PBA compound on the shell. In summary, the

• of the probe at fixed wavelengths. Active plasmonic devices Currently, one of the most dynamic research area in the nanosciences is plasmonics. Surface plasmons provide unprecedented capabilities for manipulating electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale and have opened the door to unique photonic

• applications involving biological/chemical sensors, signal processing and solar energy harvesting. In particular, emerging, active, plasmonic devices employ hybrid nanostructures consisting of at least one metallic nanostructure and one dielectric compound with externally tunable dielectric properties. From

Properties of plasmonic arrays produced by pulsed-laser nanostructuring of thin Au films

• Katarzyna Grochowska,
• Katarzyna Siuzdak,
• Peter A. Atanasov,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Anna Dikovska,
• Nikolay N. Nedyalkov and
• Gerard Śliwiński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2102–2112, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.219

• . Keywords: Au nanostructures; laser dewetting; laser nanostructuring; plasmonic enhancement; self-organization; Introduction The capability of pulsed-laser beams to deliver energy to a precise space at a precise time stimulated developments of laser technology and a variety of applications in scientific

• the particle shape variations which range from partially spherical to cup-like to partial spheroids. Nanostructuring via the photothermal effect associated with strong plasmonic absorption (i.e., collective oscillation of the free electrons between the metal and dielectric when excited around the

• nanomaterials exhibiting properties markedly different from their bulk counterparts and shows application possibilities in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, plasmonic optical circuits, light harvesting and solid state lighting. Results published so far validate the conclusion that the controlled laser

The influence of molecular mobility on the properties of networks of gold nanoparticles and organic ligands

• Edwin J. Devid,
• Paulo N. Martinho,
• M. Venkata Kamalakar,
• Úna Prendergast,
• Christian Kübel,
• Tibebe Lemma,
• Jean-François Dayen,
• Tia. E. Keyes,
• Bernard Doudin,
• Mario Ruben and
• Sense Jan van der Molen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1664–1674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.177

• molecules experienced in the array compared to the powder. Furthermore, the SERS spectrum is less complex than that of the powder. This is consistent with plasmonic enhancement as the vibrational modes involving the atoms closest to the gold nanoparticle will be selectively enhanced. Whereas the low

• is characteristic of SAMs of benzenethiol on plasmonic metals, and is further evidence that the S-BPP ligand is binding to the gold surface through this moiety [35][36]. Other characteristic benzenethiol features are also enhanced, at 990, 660 and 406 cm−1. The alkyne C≡C stretch mode, which is by

In vitro interaction of colloidal nanoparticles with mammalian cells: What have we learned thus far?

• Moritz Nazarenus,
• Qian Zhang,
• Mahmoud G. Soliman,
• Pablo del Pino,
• Beatriz Pelaz,
• Susana Carregal-Romero,
• Joanna Rejman,
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser,
• Martin J. D. Clift,
• Reinhard Zellner,
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus,
• James B. Delehanty,
• Igor L. Medintz and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1477–1490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.161

• . In case NP toxicity is investigated in a comprehensive study, however, involvement of in vivo experiments is crucial. Conclusion Due to their interesting functional properties, numerous applications of NPs exist, e.g., plasmonic NPs [2][75], magnetic NPs [162][163] or fluorescent NPs [164]. For

Microstructural and plasmonic modifications in Ag–TiO₂ and Au–TiO₂ nanocomposites through ion beam irradiation

• Venkata Sai Kiran Chakravadhanula,
• Yogendra Kumar Mishra,
• Venkata Girish Kotnur,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi,
• Thomas Strunskus,
• Vladimir Zaporotchenko,
• Dietmar Fink,
• Lorenz Kienle and
• Franz Faupel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1419–1431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.154

• fabrication techniques of plasmonic nanocomposites with specific properties is an ongoing issue in the plasmonic and nanophotonics community. In this paper we report detailed investigations on the modifications of the microstructural and plasmonic properties of metal–titania nanocomposite films induced by

• been investigated in detail by transmission electron microscopy studies, which showed interesting changes in the titania matrix. Additionally, interesting modifications in the plasmonic absorption behavior for both Au–TiO2 and Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites were observed, which have been discussed in terms of

• significant research interest due their multifunctional properties appropriate for various applications ranging from solar cells to targeted drug delivery [1][2][3][4]. The plasmonic properties of the nanocomposite films mainly depend upon the type of nanoparticles (Au or Ag), their morphology and the