Surface Plasmons In Nanoparticles Research Articles

Visual and quantitative lateral flow immunoassay based on Au@PS SERS tags for multiplex cardiac biomarkers

Rapid and sensitive detection of multiple biomarkers by lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) remains challenging for signal amplification for commonly used nanotags. Herein, we report a novel LFIA strip for visual and highly sensitive analysis of two cardiac biomarkers based on functionalized gold nanoparticles @ polystyrene microsphere (Au@PS）microcavity as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags. Antibody-modified Au@PS was designed as a SERS label. The evanescent waves propagating along the surface of the PS microcavity and the localized surface plasmons of the gold nanoparticles were coupled to enhance the light-matter interaction synergistically for Raman signal enhancement. In this strategy, the proposed Au@PS SERS tags-based LFIA was carried out to quantify the content of the heart failure and infarct biomarkers synchronously within 15 min and get the limits of detection of 1 pg/mL and 10 pg/mL for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP), respectively. The results demonstrated 10–20 folds more sensitivity than that of the standard colloidal gold strip and fluorescent strip for the same biomarkers. This novel quantitative LFIA shows promise as a high-sensitive and visual sensing method for relevant clinical and forensic analysis.

Easy synthesis of Au nanoparticles at low temperature using Saponin quillaja sp. and its photocatalytic activity

With Saponin quillaja sp usage as a reducing and stabilizing agent, it was possible to obtain Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) at low temperature in short reaction times. The nanoparticles obtained have different sizes and are a function of the synthesis temperature, presenting by Uv–vis spectrocopy the characteristic band at 540 nm of the surface plasmon of the Au nanoparticles. By electron diffraction it was determined that the phase they show is cubic centered on the face, in addition, the AuNps, when impregnated with TiO2, show a strong photocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO2 to other products.

CsPbX3 photoluminescence enhancement by localized surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles

This paper investigates the enhanced photoluminescence of CsPbX3 by the localized surface plasmon (LSP) of Ag nanoparticles. The Ag nanoparticles with different sizes were obtained by annealing Ag thin films at different temperatures. Then the Ag/PMMA/perovskite structure was fabricated to realize the exciton-LSP coupling effect, and enhancement was found for wavelength-tunable CsPbX3 films. When the Ag film is heated to 200∘C, the maximum enhancement factor of LSP is 6.03. The LSP coupling effect induces the slight blue shift of the fluorescence emission center which is caused by the limitation of electron free trajectories under the LSP resonance frequency of Ag nanoparticles. As the gap between nanoparticles decreases, the absorption cross-section increases, and the scattering rate of electrons on the surface of metal nanoparticles greatly exceeds the internal scattering rate, causing the LSP resonance frequency to shift to the blue region, resulting in a blue shift of the PL spectrum.

Plasma amplifiers: multiscale light-enhanced uniform SERS composite substrates for breaking through resonance limitations.

A phenomenon known as plasmon resonance constitutes a unique optical effect that can induce an enhancement in localized electromagnetic fields, resulting in a substantial increase in the electromagnetic field intensity surrounding metallic nanostructures. In this work, the coupling effect of excitation of surface plasmon polaritons and local surface plasmons in nanoparticles is deeply studied under the background of nanoparticles/one-dimension grating composite structures through grating matching. By employing finite-difference time-domain simulations as our methodological approach, we discern gratings with a periodicity of 1.5 μm support surface plasmon bound states between the gratings. Furthermore, the modulation of SPs along the vertical sidewalls of the grating due to standing wave effects exhibits oscillatory behavior with varying grating heights. Experimental results obtained from the nanoparticle/grating composite SERS substrate validate theoretical predictions, demonstrating higher enhanced Raman signals at 633 nm compared to 532 nm. Remarkably, this structure exhibits good performance, with R6G detection sensitivity down to concentrations as low as 10-10 M and mapping achieving a relative standard deviation of 7.79%, underscoring its uniformity and capability of electromagnetic field enhancement.

Near-field enhancement by waveguide-plasmon polaritons in a nonlocal metasurface

Localized surface plasmons in metal nanoparticles are widely used in nano-optics to confine and enhance optical fields. It has been previously shown that, if the nanoparticles are distributed periodically, an additional enhancement can be achieved by coupling the localized surface plasmons to the diffraction orders of the lattice, forming surface lattice resonances. In this work, we study an even further improvement of the near-field enhancement by placing a metal-dielectric slab waveguide beneath the lattice of the particles to excite coupled waveguide-plasmon polaritons. These excitations can extend over many periods of the lattice, making the metasurface highly nonlocal. We numerically demonstrate that the approach can provide a significant extra increase in the near-field intensity—by a factor of 80 over that produced by a single-particle plasmon resonance and by 7 over the lattice-resonance enhancement. The described enhancement mechanism can be used to design extraordinarily efficient nonlocal optical metasurfaces for many applications, including surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, and solar energy harvesting.

Size and crystallinity effect on the ultrafast optical response of chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles

The excited localized surface plasmon (LSP) in metallic nanoparticles is known to relax through several processes such as electron-electron scattering, electron-phonon coupling, and phonon-phonon scattering. In the current research, the ultrafast electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling relaxation processes for different average sizes and crystallinity of chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles were evaluated utilizing transient absorption spectroscopy. The nanoparticle size and crystallinity of similar linear dimension polycrystalline spherical and monocrystalline cubic nanoparticles ranging from ca. 30–60 nm was related to their electron relaxation time constants and revealed very different dependencies. For the monocrystalline nanocubes, the electron-phonon coupling was not dependent on the cube edge length, while for the polycrystalline nanospheres, it was linearly decreasing with diameter. We demonstrate that the e-ph coupling time constant could be used to evaluate crystallinity and crystallite size in plasmonic metal nanoparticles when the size (surface area) of the nanoparticle is known.

An advanced photo-oxidation process for pharmaceuticals using plasmon-assisted Ag-CoFe2O4 photocatalysts

The discharge of amoxicillin (AMX) from pharmaceutical intermediates has adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. The elimination of AMX requires advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that utilize high-performance photocatalysts. Furthermore, the design of highly visible light photocatalysts for AOPs demands both cost-effectiveness and efficiency. In this work, a plasmon-assisted visible light photocatalyst of 2D Ag-CoFe2O4 nanohybrids was successfully synthesized and characterized with several analytical tools to degrade AMX in aqueous solutions through advanced AOPs. The results showed that the Ag-CoFe2O4 nanohybrids had excellent photocatalytic activity and stability, which could efficiently reduce the AMX concentration by 99% within 70 min under visible light irradiation. In particular, CoFe2O4 and Ag have an interfacial contact that prevents electron-hole pair recombination more effectively than pure CoFe2O4, which results in electrons in its conduction band (CB) migrating to metallic Ag sites. Thus, charge transfers between the two materials are more efficient, leading to higher photocatalytic oxidation of AMX. Furthermore, the surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles are excited by their plasmonic resonance, which increases the absorption of visible light. The plasmon-assisted visible light photocatalyst could replace expensive and energy-intensive advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). AOPs pathways associated with AMX have been discussed in detail. The HPLC chromatogram clearly showed AMX was oxidized by four-membered B-lactam ring opening and hydroxylation with •OH. 2D Ag-CoFe2O4 heterostructure was found to be efficient, selective, and cost-effective for the degradation of several pharmaceutical compounds. Additionally, it was found to be eco-friendly and sustainable, making it a viable alternative to AOPs.

Au decorated ZnO nanostructures for enhanced visible emission and memory applications

Metal/semiconductor nanocomposites present the most versatile way to tune the optical and electrical properties of semiconductors at the nanometer scale. In the present study, Au/ZnO contacts were investigated for their potential applications in optoelectronic devices. There is general agreement that the resonant excitation of surface plasmons (SP) of metal nanoparticles (NP) can couple with the excitons of semiconductors and tune their optical emissions. In this work, the SP and exciton coupling is thoroughly examined using temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy in the Au-NPs coated ZnO nanowires. Peculiar to the conventional optical response of Au/ZnO nanostructures at room temperature, PL measurements manifest the suppression of the band edge emissions and enhanced deep level emissions after Au-NPs coating. Raman spectroscopy showed the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect due to field enhancement of the incident light by the SP thus demonstrating potential in ultrasensitive sensing applications. Also, ZnO memristors were fabricated with Au electrodes that exhibited high endurance and longtime retentive bipolar resistive switching characteristics with low SET/RESET voltages. Altogether, present results demonstrate that Au/ZnO composites hold promise for plasmonic based nanoelectronics for memory and neuromorphic applications.

Effect of self-interaction corrections (SIC) on physical properties of small Al, Ag and Ni nanoparticles

The density functional method with self-interaction corrections (SIC) has been used to calculate the static dipole polarizations and surface plasmons of small metallic nanoparticles. It turns out that SIC lower the static dipole polarization per atom in the case of Al clusters when decreasing the number of atoms. In the case of silver, the dipole plasmon like excitation energies increase on going to smaller nanoparticles. The comparison with experiments has been shown to be in good agreement. Also, the static dipole polarizabilities of the Ni nanoparticles have been considered.

Photochemical Reduction of Silver Nanoparticles on Diatoms.

In this work, the photochemical reduction method was used at 440 or 540 nm excitation wavelengths to optimize the deposition of silver nanoparticles on the diatom surface as a potential DNA biosensor. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), fluorescence microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Our results revealed a 5.5-fold enhancement in the fluorescence response of the nanocomposite irradiated at 440 nm with DNA. The enhanced sensitivity comes from the optical coupling of the guided-mode resonance of the diatoms and the localized surface plasmon of the silver nanoparticles interacting with the DNA. The advantage of this work involves the use of a low-cost green method to optimize the deposition of plasmonic nanoparticles on diatoms as an alternative fabrication method for fluorescent biosensors.

Promising Photoluminescence Enhancement of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum by Simultaneous Localized and Propagating Surface Plasmons of Ag Nanostructures

The continuous performance optimization of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3) materials is of great significance during the commercialization process of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In incorporating Ag nanostructures into Alq3, the photophysical properties are greatly improved by the plasmon–exciton coupling effect. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in Ag nanoparticles (NPs) efficiently increased the absorption ability. The coexistence of LSPs and propagating surface plasmons (PSPs) in Ag nanowires (NWs) leads to a PL enhancement of 5.3-fold and a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) narrowed by 10 nm. Temperature-dependent PL measurements exhibit that the plasmonic density of states (DOS) increases with decreasing temperature below 40 °C, and the thermal exchange can be accelerated by the introduction of Ag nanostructures. Effective suppression of the thermal accumulation effect is further proved by excitation intensity (EI)-dependent PL measurements. We also found that Ag nanostructures could mainly change the y coordinates in International Commission on Illumination (CIE), leading to a higher brightness. The 5372 K color temperature of an Ag NWs-embedded composite is suitable for daylight-type fluorescent OLEDs. The results would pave an effective way for further optimizing the optical performance of light-emitting materials in OLEDs.

EFFECT OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES ON THE OPTICAL REFLECTANCE SPECTRA OF Ag/Ag2O COMPOSITES SYNTHESIZED BY OXYGEN PLASMA TREATMENT OF SILVER THIN FILMS

In this work, we present the results of a unique study that aims to detect the structural effects on the plasma edges in optical reflectance spectra of Ag/Ag2O composites synthesized by treating silver thin films manufactured by thermal evaporation method with oxygen plasma afterglow. The results showed that, each of the optical reflectance spectra contains two plasma edges, the first ([Formula: see text] belongs to the surface plasmons of the individual silver nanoparticles, and the second ([Formula: see text] belongs to the larger silver nanoparticles. In addition, we found that the positions of the plasma edges are linearly related to the positions of the optical absorption peaks, except for high and low oxidation rates cases.

A hybrid photonic-plasmonic resonator based on a partially encapsulated 1D photonic crystal waveguide and a plasmonic nanoparticle

In this paper, a hybrid photonic-plasmonic resonator is proposed. The device consists of a partially encapsulated 1D photonic crystal waveguide and a plasmonic nanoparticle to yield high radiation efficiency for integrated photonic platforms, owing to a high Q-factor and a small mode volume. The design of the resonator is accomplished in two consecutive steps: first of all, a partially encapsulated photonic crystal nanobeam with a robust mechanical stability and a high-Q factor is prepared; secondly, a plasmonic nanoparticle is placed on the surface of the nanobeam to interact the optical mode with the localized surface plasmons of the gold nanoparticle which is being present in the vicinity of the radiating dipole. Strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, regenerated through the optical mode field inside the hybrid resonator, enables to reduce the optical mode volume of the device and significantly enhance the Purcell factor.

Label-Free and Bioluminescence-Based Nano-Biosensor for ATP Detection.

A bioluminescence-based assay for ATP can measure cell viability. Higher ATP concentration indicates a higher number of living cells. Thus, it is necessary to design an ATP sensor that is low-cost and easy to use. Gold nanoparticles provide excellent biocompatibility for enzyme immobilization. We investigated the effect of luciferase proximity with citrate-coated gold, silver, and gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and BSA-Au nanoclusters. The effect of metal nanoparticles on the activity of luciferases was recorded by the luminescence assay, which was 3-5 times higher than free enzyme. The results showed that the signal stability in presence of nanoparticles improved and was reliable up to 6 h for analytes measurements. It has been suggested that energy is mutually transferred from luciferase bioluminescence spectra to metal nanoparticle surface plasmons. In addition, we herein report the 27-base DNA aptamer for adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) as a suitable probe for the ATP biosensor based on firefly luciferase activity and AuNPs. Due to ATP application in the firefly luciferase reaction, the increase in luciferase activity and improved detection limits may indicate more stability or accessibility of ATP in the presence of nanoparticles. The bioluminescence intensity increased with the ATP concentration up to 600 µM with a detection limit of 5 µM for ATP.

Nano Ag-enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency in all-inorganic, hole-transporting-layer-free CsPbIBr2 perovskite solar cells

All-inorganic, hole-transporting-layer-free CsPbIBr2 perovskite solar cells have great potential for development, but their device performance needs to be further improved. Recently, metal nanostructures have been successfully applied in the field of solar cells to improve their performance. Nano Ag-enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) in one CsPbIBr2 perovskite solar cell utilizing localized surface plasmons of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface has been researched experimentally and by simulation in this paper. The localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag NPs has a near-field enhancement effect, which is expected to improve the light absorption of CsPbIBr2 perovskite photovoltaic devices. In addition, Ag NPs have a forward-scattering effect on the incident light, which can also improve the performance of CsPbIBr2-based perovskite photovoltaic devices. By directly assembling Ag NPs (with a size of about 150 nm) on the surface of fluorine-doped tin oxide it is found when the particle surface coverage is 10%, the CsPbIBr2 perovskite photovoltaic device achieves a best PCE of 2.7%, which is 9.76% higher than that of the control group. Without changing any existing structure in the ready-made solar cell, this facile and efficient method has huge applications. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first report on nano Ag-enhanced photoelectric conversion efficiency in this kind of CsPbIBr2 perovskite solar cell.

NiSe and CoSe Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals: A Sustainable Platform for Efficient Thermoplasmonics and Solar-Driven Photothermal Membrane Distillation.

The control of heat at the nanoscale via the excitation of localized surface plasmons in nanoparticles (NPs) irradiated with light holds great potential in several fields (cancer therapy, catalysis, desalination). To date, most thermoplasmonic applications are based on Ag and Au NPs, whose cost of raw materials inevitably limits the scalability for industrial applications requiring large amounts of photothermal NPs, as in the case of desalination plants. On the other hand, alternative nanomaterials proposed so far exhibit severe restrictions associated with the insufficient photothermal efficacy in the visible, the poor chemical stability, and the challenging scalability. Here, it is demonstrated the outstanding potential of NiSe and CoSe topological nodal-line semimetals for thermoplasmonics. The anisotropic dielectric properties of NiSe and CoSe activate additional plasmonic resonances. Specifically, NiSe and CoSe NPs support multiple localized surface plasmons in the optical range, resulting in a broadband matching with sunlight radiation spectrum. Finally, it is validated the proposed NiSe and CoSe-based thermoplasmonic platform by implementing solar-driven membrane distillation by adopting NiSe and CoSe nanofillers embedded in a polymeric membrane for seawater desalination. Remarkably, replacing Ag with NiSe and CoSe for solar membrane distillation increases the transmembrane flux by 330% and 690%, respectively. Correspondingly, costs of raw materials are also reduced by 24 and 11 times, respectively. The results pave the way for the advent of NiSe and CoSe for efficient and sustainable thermoplasmonics and related applications exploiting sunlight within the paradigm of the circular blue economy.

Surface-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence Imaging for Multiplexed Immunoassays of Cancer Markers in Exhaled Breath Condensates.

Recently we have demonstrated that the surface plasmon of noble metal nanoparticles can effectively enhance the ECL intensity of Ru(bpy)32+, and we named this detection principle as surface-enhanced electrochemiluminescence (SEECL-I). However, SEECL based on photomultiplier tube (PMT) detection can only detect one target at a time, which is not suitable for multiple targets detection. In this work, we combined our previous developed SEECL with a bioimaging device to develop a novel multiplexed immunassay for simultaneous and fast analysis of cancer markers. A core-shell nanocomposite consisted of gold-silicon dioxide nanoparticles doped with Ru(bpy)32+(Au@SiO2-Ru) with strong ECL emission was employed as ECL label due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs, which can significantly enhance the ECL emission of Ru(bpy)32+. The ECL signals from the 4 × 4 electrode arrays were collected using the constant potential method (current-time curve method) imaging with a sCOMS camera. As a proof-of-concept application, we demonstrated the use of the proposed SEECL-I for simultaneous detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron specific enolase (NSE), and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) in exhaled breath condensates (EBCs) with low detection limit (LOD) of 0.17, 0.33, and 0.33 pg/mL (S/N = 3), respectively. The results demonstrated that the proposed SEECL-I strategy can provide a high sensitivity, fast analysis, and high-throughput platform for clinical diagnosis of cancer markers in EBCs.

Localized surface plasmon enhanced electroluminescence of n-ZnCdO/MgO/p-GaN via Ag nanoparticle decoration

Herein, a n-ZnCdO/MgO dual-layer structure was prepared on p-GaN/c-Al2O3 substrate by pulsed laser deposition method. Then, a layer of Ag nanoparticles, obtained by annealing Ag films with different thicknesses in vacuum, were introduced onto the MgO film to form localized surface plasmon. n-ZnCdO/p-GaN heterojunction diodes were constructed by evaporating Ni/Au electrodes on the p-GaN surface and sintering In pellets on the n-ZnCdO surface. By using 6 nm and 20 nm Ag films, whose extinction spectra match to emission peak of p-GaN and n-ZnCdO respectively, electroluminescence of p-GaN and n-ZnCdO have been observably enhanced. The enhanced emissions are mainly depended on resonant coupling between electron-hole pairs in emission layers and surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles. These results show that the heterojunction diodes can achieve the enhanced dual-mode emission by adjusting the thickness of the Ag film when the MgO blocking layer is located between n-ZnCdO and p-GaN. This work of realizing multi-color luminescence can provide an experimental method for the design of white light devices.

Low-Loss Tunable Infrared Plasmons in the High-Mobility Perovskite (Ba,La)SnO3.

BaSnO3 exhibits the highest carrier mobility among perovskite oxides, making it ideal for oxide electronics. Collective charge carrier oscillations known as plasmons are expected to arise in this material, thus providing a tool to control the nanoscale optical field for optoelectronics applications. Here, the existence of relatively long-lived plasmons supported by high-mobility charge carriers in La-doped BaSnO3 (BLSO) is demonstrated. By exploiting the high spatial and energy resolution of electron energy-loss spectroscopy with a focused beam in a scanning transmission electron microscope, the dispersion, confinement ratio, and damping of infrared localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in BLSO nanoparticles are systematically investigated. It is found that LSPs in BLSO exhibit a high degree of spatial confinement compared to those sustained by noble metals and have relatively low losses and high quality factors with respect to other doped oxides. Further analysis clarifies the relation between plasmon damping and carrier mobility in BLSO. The results support the use of nanostructured degenerate semiconductors for plasmonic applications in the infrared region and establish a solid alternative to more traditional plasmonic materials.

Hybrid photonic-plasmonic mode-coupling induced enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate of CdS/CdSe quantum emitters

In this paper, a hybrid photonic-plasmonic resonator, which comprises an electrospun polymer fiber with a micrometer diameter and a core/shell nanostructure with a gold nanoparticle core, is constructed to investigate the dynamics of the coupled spontaneous emission of CdS/CdSe quantum dots (QDs). The gold nanoparticle core; covered with a silica shell, anchored with individual CdS/CdSe QDs, is placed inside a hollow cylindrical nanocavity formed on the surface of the microfiber to enable integration of the optical mode with the plasmonic effect, which is induced by the localized surface plasmons of the metal nanoparticle being present in the vicinity of the dipoles. The spontaneous emission rate of the QDs, coupled into the hybrid photonic-plasmonic mode, is measured to enhance by a factor of 23 via a time-resolved experimental technique. This result suggests that the regeneration of the optical mode-field inside the photonic-plasmonic resonator through the interaction of the dipoles with the localized surface plasmons of a metal nanoparticle strongly enhances the density of the electromagnetic states of the quantum emitters to facilitate an enhanced spontaneous emission within the host medium of the proposed polymer based-photonic structure.