Selective Thermoplasmonic Embedment Of Supported Silver Nanocrystals

Noble metal nanocrystals are known for their unique optical and electronic properties which stem from their ability to support localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In the past twenty years there has been an increase in the interest in the field of thermoplasmonics which focuses on harnessing the LSPR properties of nanoparticles for localized heating applications. The goal of this work was to investigate the selective thermoplasmonic embedment of silver nanocubes (AgNCs) and silver nanocube clusters (AgClusters) in supported monolayers. Wavelengths of 458 nm and 568 nm were chosen to selectively thermoplasmonically excite and embed individual AgNCs and AgClusters respectively. Based on the embedment patterns achieved with the respective wavelengths, it was determined that both types of selective embedment were attained. In addition to being the first reported instance of spatially resolved thermoplasmonics in supported nanoparticle monolayers, these selective embedment techniques show promise for future applications in nanopatterning.