Targeted dielectric coating of silver nanoparticles with silica to manipulate optical properties for metasurface applications

Abstract

An epsilon-negative metamaterial (ENM) containing core@shell nanoparticles (NPs) was designed, where silver (Ag) NPs served as core and silica (SiO2) was used as spacer shell. AgNPs were synthesized in large scale, using microwave-assisted polyol method, in three average particle sizes, as 30, 54, and 61 nm, with a narrow particle size distribution. Optical absorption of Ag NPs was investigated using UV–Vis spectroscopy. Their optical behavior was also theoretically predicted for different thicknesses of the SiO2 shell immersed in media of different refractive indices using the Clausius - Mossotti equation. Based on the results, optimal outputs were obtained with a SiO2 shell of 10 nm in thickness encompassing 54 nm Ag NPs based on the analytical model and numerical simulations here developed for core-shell structures. Then 10 nm SiO2 shell was grown on 54 nm Ag NPs by sol-gel synthesis. The NPs were then characterized by UV–Vis, TEM, SEM, EDX, DLS, and zeta potential analyses. The synthesized core-shell NPs can be used to establish epsilon-negative properties in polymer layers within visible range of wavelengths.