David J. Masiello

Probing the structure of single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering hot spots.

We present here a detailed study of the specific nanoparticle structures that give rise to single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SMSERS). A variety of structures are observed, but the simplest are dimers of Ag nanocrystals. We chose one of these structures for detailed study using electrodynamics calculations and found that the electromagnetic SERS enhancement factors of 10(9) are easily obtained and are consistent with single-molecule SERS activity.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Excitation Spectroscopy of a Single Rhodamine 6G Molecule

The surface-enhanced Raman excitation profiles (REPs) of rhodamine 6G (R6G) on Ag surfaces are studied using a tunable optical parametric oscillator excitation source and versatile detection scheme. These experiments afford the ability to finely tune the excitation wavelength near the molecular resonance of R6G (i.e., approximately 500-575 nm) and perform wavelength-scanned surface-enhanced Raman excitation measurements of a single molecule. The ensemble-averaged surface-enhanced REPs are measured for collections of molecules on Ag island films. The relative contributions of the 0-0 and 0-1 vibronic transitions to the surface-enhanced REPs vary with vibrational frequency. These results highlight the role of excitation energy in determining the resonance Raman intensities for R6G on surface-enhancing nanostructures. Single-molecule measurements are obtained from individual molecules of R6G on Ag colloidal aggregates, where single-molecule junctions are located using the isotope-edited approach. Overall, single-molecule surface-enhanced REPs are narrow in comparison to the ensemble-averaged excitation profiles due to a reduction in inhomogeneous broadening. This work describes the first Raman excitation spectroscopy studies of a single molecule, revealing new information previously obscured by the ensemble.

Dispersion analysis of FTIR reflection measurements in silicate glasses

Abstract Infrared reflection spectra from alkali silicate glasses exposed to water for various times are analyzed using several causal methods, based on Kramers–Kronig (KK) relations between the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric functions. The results show that use of causal Gaussian dispersion equations works well in producing peaks in the imaginary component of the dielectric function that remain fixed in wavelength position and width during a surface leaching process. This allows accurate definition of the behavior of associated composition and structural changes in the glass surface. This method is suggested for non-destructive surface analysis of materials.

Charge-tunable quantum plasmons in colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals.

Nanomaterials exhibiting plasmonic optical responses are impacting sensing, information processing, catalysis, solar, and photonics technologies. Recent advances have expanded the portfolio of plasmonic nanostructures into doped semiconductor nanocrystals, which allow dynamic manipulation of carrier densities. Once interpreted as intraband single-electron transitions, the infrared absorption of doped semiconductor nanocrystals is now commonly attributed to localized surface plasmon resonances and analyzed using the classical Drude model to determine carrier densities. Here, we show that the experimental plasmon resonance energies of photodoped ZnO nanocrystals with controlled sizes and carrier densities diverge from classical Drude model predictions at small sizes, revealing quantum plasmons in these nanocrystals. A Lorentz oscillator model more adequately describes the data and illustrates a closer link between plasmon resonances and single-electron transitions in semiconductors than in metals, highlighting a fundamental contrast between these two classes of plasmonic materials.

Characterization of the electron- and photon-driven plasmonic excitations of metal nanorods.

A computational analysis of the electron- and photon-driven surface-plasmon resonances of monomer and dimer metal nanorods is presented to elucidate the differences and similarities between the two excitation mechanisms in a system with well-understood optical properties. By correlating the nanostructures simulated electron energy-loss spectrum and loss-probability maps with its induced polarization and scattered electric field we discern how certain plasmon modes are selectively excited and how they funnel energy from the excitation source into the near- and far-field. Using a fully retarded electron-scattering theory capable of describing arbitrary three-dimensional nanoparticle geometries, aggregation schemes, and material compositions, we find that electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is able to indirectly probe the same electromagnetic hot spots that are generated by an optical excitation source. Comparison with recent experiment is made to verify our findings.

Super-resolution imaging reveals a difference between SERS and luminescence centroids.

Super-resolution optical imaging of Rhodamine 6G surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and silver luminescence from colloidal silver aggregates are measured with sub-5 nm resolution and found to originate from distinct spatial locations on the nanoparticle surface. Using correlated scanning electron microscopy, the spatial origins of the two signals are mapped onto the nanoparticle structure, revealing that, while both types of emission are plasmon-mediated, SERS is a highly local effect, probing only a single junction in a nanoparticle aggregate, whereas luminescence probes all collective plasmon modes within the nanostructure. Calculations using the discrete-dipole approximation to calculate the weighted centroid position of both the |E|(2)/|E(inc)|(2) and |E|(4)/|E(inc)|(4) electromagnetic fields were compared to the super-resolution centroid positions of the SERS and luminescence data and found to agree with the proposed plasmon dependence of the two emission signals. These results are significant to the field of SERS because they allow us to assign the exact nanoparticle junction responsible for single-molecule SERS emission in higher order aggregates and also provide insight into how SERS is coupled into the plasmon modes of the underlying nanostructure, which is important for developing new theoretical models to describe SERS emission.

Many-body theory of surface-enhanced Raman scattering

A many-body Greens function approach to the microscopic theory of surface-enhanced Raman scattering is presented. Interaction effects between a general molecular system and a spatially anisotropic metal particle supporting plasmon excitations in the presence of an external radiation field are systematically included through many-body perturbation theory. Reduction of the exact effects of molecular-electronic correlation to the level of Hartree-Fock mean-field theory is made for practical initial implementation, while description of collective oscillations of conduction electrons in the metal is reduced to that of a classical plasma density; extension of the former to a Kohn-Sham density-functional or second-order M\o{}ller-Plesset perturbation theory is discussed; further specialization of the latter to the random-phase approximation allows for several salient features of the formalism to be highlighted without need for numerical computation. Scattering and linear-response properties of the coupled system subjected to an external perturbing electric field in the electric-dipole interaction approximation are investigated. Both damping and finite-lifetime effects of molecular-electronic excitations as well as the characteristic fourth-power enhancement of the molecular Raman scattering intensity are elucidated from first principles. It is demonstrated that the presented theory reduces to previous models of surface-enhanced Raman scattering and leads naturally to a semiclassical picture of the response of a quantum-mechanical molecular system interacting with a spatially anisotropic classical metal particle with electronic polarization approximated by a discretized collection of electric dipoles.

Submicrosecond time resolution atomic force microscopy for probing nanoscale dynamics.

We propose, simulate, and experimentally validate a new mechanical detection method to analyze atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever motion that enables noncontact discrimination of transient events with ~100 ns temporal resolution without the need for custom AFM probes, specialized instrumentation, or expensive add-on hardware. As an example application, we use the method to screen thermally annealed poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester photovoltaic devices under realistic testing conditions over a technologically relevant performance window. We show that variations in device efficiency and nanoscale transient charging behavior are correlated, thereby linking local dynamics with device behavior. We anticipate that this method will find application in scanning probe experiments of dynamic local mechanical, electronic, magnetic, and biophysical phenomena.

Single-Molecule Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering: Can STEM/EELS Image Electromagnetic Hot Spots?

Since the observation of single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SMSERS) in 1997, questions regarding the nature of the electromagnetic hot spots responsible for such observations still persist. For the first time, we employ electron-energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to obtain maps of the localized surface plasmon modes of SMSERS-active nanostructures, which are resolved in both space and energy. Single-molecule character is confirmed by the bianalyte approach using two isotopologues of Rhodamine 6G. Surprisingly, the STEM/EELS plasmon maps do not show any direct signature of an electromagnetic hot spot in the gaps between the nanoparticles. The origins of this observation are explored using a fully three-dimensional electrodynamics simulation of both the electron-energy-loss probability and the near-electric field enhancements. The calculations suggest that electron beam excitation of the hot spot is possible, but only when the electron beam is located outside of the junction region.

Spatially Mapping Energy Transfer from Single Plasmonic Particles to Semiconductor Substrates via STEM/EELS

Energy transfer from plasmonic nanoparticles to semiconductors can expand the available spectrum of solar energy-harvesting devices. Here, we spatially and spectrally resolve the interaction between single Ag nanocubes with insulating and semiconducting substrates using electron energy-loss spectroscopy, electrodynamics simulations, and extended plasmon hybridization theory. Our results illustrate a new way to characterize plasmon-semiconductor energy transfer at the nanoscale and bear impact upon the design of next-generation solar energy-harvesting devices.