Plasmon assisted thermal modulation in nanoparticles
Abstract
Single-particle interactions hold the promise of nanometer-scale
devices in areas such as data communications and storage, nanolithography,
waveguides, renewable energy and therapeutics. We propose that the
collective electronic properties possessed by noble metal nanoparticles
may be exploited for device actuation via the unapparent mechanism of
plasmon-assisted heat generation and flux. The temperature dependence of
the dielectric function and the thermal transport properties of the particles
play the central role in the feasibility of the thermally-actuated system,
however the behavior of these thermoplasmonic processes is unclear. We
experimentally and computationally analyzed modulation via thermoplasmonic
processes on a test system of gold (Au) nano-islands. Modulation and
energy transport in discontinuous domains exhibited quantitatively different
characteristics compared to thin films. The results have implications for all
surface plasmon based nano-devices where inevitable small-scale thermal
processes are present.