(Invited) Photoelectrochemical Fabrication of Chiral Plasmonic Nanostructures By Circularly Polarized Light

Abstract

Chiral plasmonic nanostructures attracts attention because they are potentially applicable to optical materials such as enantioselective sensors and metamaterials, as well as photoelectrochemical devices. Chiral nanostructures are often prepared by electron beam lithography or synthesis based on DNA templates. We have recently developed a photoelectrochemical method, in which handedness of the chiral nanostructure can be controlled by right- or left- circularly polarized light.The photoelectrochemical method is based on plasmon-induced charge separation (PICS),1,2 in which electrons are injected from a plasmonic metal nanoparticle to a semiconductor such as titania in direct contact. In PICS, anodic reactions often occur at the resonance sites of the plasmonic nanoparticle, at which electron oscillation is localized.3,4 Energetic electron-hole pairs generate at the resonance site, and holes are used for the local anodic reaction, probably via trap sites. On the basis of the mechanisms, we have demonstrated site-selective etching of silver nanoparticles and site-selective deposition of lead oxide on gold nanoparticles.Under right-circularly polarized light (CPL), distribution of the resonance sites could be the mirror image of that under left-CPL.5 Therefore, we performed site-selective deposition of lead oxide on gold nanocuboids on titania under right- or left-CPL.6 As a result, lead oxide was deposited on the gold nanocuboids in a chiral geometry. The nanostructures thus obtained exhibited circular dichroism (CD), and the CD spectrum obtained for the structure prepared under right-CPL was opposite to that obtained for the structure prepared under left-CPL. Reversible switching of the handedness of the chiral plasmonic nanostructures can also be possible.7 This method also allows us to fabricate spiral nanostructures. 1. Y. Tian and T. Tatsuma, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 7632 (2005). 2. T. Tatsuma, H. Nishi, and T. Ishida, Chem. Sci., 8, 3325 (2017) [review]. 3. I. Tanabe and T. Tatsuma, Nano Lett., 12, 5418 (2012). 4. T. Tatsuma and H. Nishi, Nanoscale Horiz., 5, 597 (2020) [review]. 5. S. Hashiyada, T. Narushima, and H. Okamoto, J. Phys. Chem. C, 118, 22229 (2014). 6. K. Saito and T. Tatsuma, Nano Lett., 18, 3209 (2018). 7. K. Morisawa, T. Ishida, and T. Tatsuma, ACS Nano, 14, 3603 (2020).