Abstract
We report the observation of photoluminescence emission from airborne gold, silver, and copper nanoparticles. A continuous wave 532 nm laser was employed for excitation. Photoluminescence from gold nanoparticles carried in a nitrogen gas flow was both spectrally resolved and directly imaged in situ using an intensified charge-coupled device camera. The simultaneously detected Raman signal from the nitrogen molecules enables quantitative estimation of the photoluminescence quantum yield of the gold nanoparticles. Photoluminescence from metal nanoparticles carried in a gas flow provides a potential tool for operando imaging of plasmonic metal nanoparticles in aerosol reactions.
Highlights
Gold nanoparticles have found use in numerous applications both in research and industry, including optics,[1] sensing,[2] catalysis, and as seed crystals for surface-3 and aerosol-supported nanowire growth,[4,5,6] much because of its non-reactive properties
We investigate the photoluminescence emission from airborne metal nanoparticles excited with a 532 nm continuous wave (CW) laser, with focus mainly on gold and copper and silver nanoparticles generated in the same spark discharge system
With the spark discharge aerosol generator (SDG) on, the photoluminescence from the gold nanoparticles was recorded as a broad spectral distribution extending over the entire visible wavelength range, as shown by the red spectral curves, and to both higher and lower energy compared to the excitation wavelength
Summary
Gold nanoparticles have found use in numerous applications both in research and industry, including optics,[1] sensing,[2] catalysis, and as seed crystals for surface-3 and aerosol-supported nanowire growth,[4,5,6] much because of its non-reactive properties. The intensity of the broadband emission is comparable to the nitrogen Raman signal, which is in the order of 104 times weaker than the Mie scattering from the particles.
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