Synthesis and Photothermal Properties of UV-Plasmonic Group IV Transition Metal Carbide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Refractory nanostructures can be low-cost and chemically and thermally robust alternatives to metal-based plasmonic materials. While transition metal nitrides have received much attention recently, there has been less emphasis on their closely related non-layered carbide counterparts. In this work, plasmonic group IV transition metal carbide (TiC, ZrC, and HfC) nanostructures were prepared using a facile magnesiothermic reduction method, which yielded a phase pure product. TiC, ZrC, and HfC with rock salt crystal structures and an average particle size of 24, 31, and 42 nm, respectively, were obtained by reacting corresponding metal oxide, magnesium, and biochar in the solid state. Calculations performed using a finite element method predicted these group IV carbide nanostructures to have localized surface plasmon resonance in the UV region between 150 and 175 nm. The photothermal transduction efficiency of each carbide was explored to further verify the plasmonic behavior. HfC was found to have the highest photothermal transduction efficiency of 73%, followed by ZrC (69%), and then TiC (60%) at 365 nm.