DOE OSTI · 3001494
Annealing-Driven Phase Control Enables Plasmonic Tunability in Alloy Nanoparticles
Abstract
A critical aspect of designing and realizing useful solid state materials is controlling phase and structure to tailor physical properties. While common for semiconductor and quantum materials, plasmonic materials have inhabited a narrow phase space typically comprising one or two elements, e.g., face-centered cubic metals. While this simplicity has enabled robust use and understanding of Au and Ag nanoparticles, it has also limited the design and manipulation of solid state properties. Here, we show that by tuning the phase and elemental composition of binary Au−Sn nanoparticles, the steady-state absorbance and ultrafast thermalization properties of plasmonic nanoparticles can be controlled. Solid state characterization suggests this is due to the dealloying of Sn and destabilization of the AuSn phase, leading to higher quality Au 5 Sn intermetallic phases alongside Au. Consequently, this work shows that phase control can profoundly influence the properties of plasmonic nanoparticles, providing important tunability for applications in catalysis, photothermal heating, and sensing.
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Mason, Noah L. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Branco, Anthony J. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Liu, Sunhao [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC (United States)], Trancart, Maëlisse [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Jeong, Sangmin [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000286282920), Sullivan, Connor S. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Dawes, Sarah S. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000301469695), Chatterjee, Smita [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Manukian, Sophia [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)], Hayes, Dugan [University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States)] (ORCID:0000000341715179), Quan, Lina [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000193013764), Ross, Michael B. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000225110594). 2025-10-21. Annealing-Driven Phase Control Enables Plasmonic Tunability in Alloy Nanoparticles. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c01692
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