Charge Transfer Plasmons Enabled by Supramolecular Plug: From Optoelectronic Switching to Enhanced Chiral Sensing.

Abstract

Miniaturization and integration of plasmonic nanodevices are fundamentally limited by quantum tunneling, which leads to quantum plasmonics with reduced local E-field intensity. Despite significant efforts devoted to modeling and deterring the detrimental effect of quantum plasmonics, the modulation and application of electron transport through the subnanometer gaps seems rarely exploited due to the limited tunability of conventional quantum materials. Here, we establish a supramolecular plasmonic system made of pillar[5]arene complexes and plasmonic resonators (nanoparticle-on-mirror, NPoM). The supramolecular assemblies significantly enhance the gap conductance of NPoM, which results in a blue-shift of the coupled plasmons. Plasmonic hot-electron transport with laser excitation further modulates the gap plasmons, which are fully reversible and beneficial for enhanced chiroptic sensing. Such a conductive supramolecular plasmonic system not only suggests an optoelectronic switching strategy for charge transfer plasmons but also provides a superior sensing platform for single molecules.