Pattanawit Swanglap

In situ measurement of bovine serum albumin interaction with gold nanospheres

We present in situ observations of adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on citrate-stabilized gold nanospheres. We implemented scattering correlation spectroscopy as a tool to quantify changes in the nanoparticle brownian motion resulting from BSA adsorption onto the nanoparticle surface. Protein binding was observed as an increase in the nanoparticle hydrodynamic radius. Our results indicate the formation of a protein monolayer at similar albumin concentrations as those found in human blood. Additionally, by monitoring the frequency and intensity of individual scattering events caused by single gold nanoparticles passing the observation volume, we found that BSA did not induce colloidal aggregation, a relevant result from the toxicological viewpoint. Moreover, to elucidate the thermodynamics of the gold nanoparticle-BSA association, we measured an adsorption isotherm which was best described by an anticooperative binding model. The number of binding sites based on this model was consistent with a BSA monolayer in its native state. In contrast, experiments using poly(ethylene glycol)-capped gold nanoparticles revealed no evidence for adsorption of BSA.

A Plasmonic Fano Switch

Plasmonic clusters can support Fano resonances, where the line shape characteristics are controlled by cluster geometry. Here we show that clusters with a hemicircular central disk surrounded by a circular ring of closely spaced, coupled nanodisks yield Fano-like and non-Fano-like spectra for orthogonal incident polarization orientations. When this structure is incorporated into an uniquely broadband, liquid crystal device geometry, the entire Fano resonance spectrum can be switched on and off in a voltage-dependent manner. A reversible transition between the Fano-like and non-Fano-like spectra is induced by relatively low (∼6 V) applied voltages, resulting in a complete on/off switching of the transparency window.

Plasmon Emission Quantum Yield of Single Gold Nanorods as a Function of Aspect Ratio

We report on the one-photon photoluminescence of gold nanorods with different aspect ratios. We measured photoluminescence and scattering spectra from 82 gold nanorods using single-particle spectroscopy. We found that the emission and scattering spectra closely resemble each other independent of the nanorod aspect ratio. We assign the photoluminescence to the radiative decay of the longitudinal surface plasmon generated after fast interconversion from excited electron-hole pairs that were initially created by 532 nm excitation. The emission intensity was converted to the quantum yield and was found to approximately exponentially decrease as the energy difference between the excitation and emission wavelength increased for gold nanorods with plasmon resonances between 600 and 800 nm. We compare this plasmon emission to its molecular analogue, fluorescence.

Electromagnetic Energy Transport in Nanoparticle Chains via Dark Plasmon Modes

Using light to exchange information offers large bandwidths and high speeds, but the miniaturization of optical components is limited by diffraction. Converting light into electron waves in metals allows one to overcome this problem. However, metals are lossy at optical frequencies and large-area fabrication of nanometer-sized structures by conventional top-down methods can be cost-prohibitive. We show electromagnetic energy transport with gold nanoparticles that were assembled into close-packed linear chains. The small interparticle distances enabled strong electromagnetic coupling causing the formation of low-loss subradiant plasmons, which facilitated energy propagation over many micrometers. Electrodynamic calculations confirmed the dark nature of the propagating mode and showed that disorder in the nanoparticle arrangement enhances energy transport, demonstrating the viability of using bottom-up nanoparticle assemblies for ultracompact opto-electronic devices.

Active modulation of nanorod plasmons.

Confining visible light to nanoscale dimensions has become possible with surface plasmons. Many plasmonic elements have already been realized. Nanorods, for example, function as efficient optical antennas. However, active control of the plasmonic response remains a roadblock for building optical analogues of electronic circuits. We present a new approach to modulate the polarized scattering intensities of individual gold nanorods by 100% using liquid crystals with applied voltages as low as 4 V. This novel effect is based on the transition from a homogeneous to a twisted nematic phase of the liquid crystal covering the nanorods. With our method it will be possible to actively control optical antennas as well as other plasmonic elements.

Radiative and nonradiative properties of single plasmonic nanoparticles and their assemblies.

A surface plasmon is the coherent oscillation of the conduction band electrons. When a metal nanoparticle is excited to produce surface plasmons, incident light is both scattered and absorbed, giving rise to brilliant colors. One available technique for measuring these processes, ensemble extinction spectroscopy, only measures the sum of scattering and absorption. Although the spectral responses of these processes are closely related, their relative efficiencies can differ significantly as a function of nanoparticle size and shape. For some applications, researchers may need techniques that can quantitatively measure absorption or scattering alone. Through advances in single particle spectroscopy, researchers can overcome this problem, separately determining the radiative (elastic and inelastic scattering) and nonradiative (absorption) properties of surface plasmons. Furthermore, because we can use the same sample preparation for both single particle spectroscopy measurements and electron microscopy, this technique provides detailed structural information and a direct correlation between optical properties and nanostructure morphology. In this Account, we present our quantitative investigations of both radiative (scattering and one-photon luminescence) and nonradiative (absorption) properties of the same individual plasmonic nanostructures employing different single particle spectroscopy techniques. In particular, we have used a combined setup to study the same structure with dark-field scattering spectroscopy, photothermal heterodyne imaging, confocal luminescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. While Mie theory thoroughly describes the overall size dependence of scattering and absorption for nanospheres, our real samples deviate significantly from the predicted trend: their particle shape is not perfectly spherical, especially when supported on a substrate. Because of the high excitation rate in laser based single particle measurements, we can efficiently detect one-photon luminescence despite a low quantum yield. For gold nanoparticles, the luminescence spectrum follows the scattering response, and therefore we assigned it to the emission of a plasmon. Due to strong near-field interactions the plasmonic response of closely spaced nanoparticles deviates significantly from that of the constituent nanoparticles. This response arises from coupled surface plasmon modes that combine those of the individual nanoparticles. Our correlated structural and optical imaging strategy is especially powerful for understanding these collective modes and their dependence on the assembly geometry.

Turning the Corner: Efficient Energy Transfer in Bent Plasmonic Nanoparticle Chain Waveguides

For integrating and multiplexing of subwavelength plasmonic waveguides with other optical and electric components, complex architectures such as junctions with sharp turns are necessary. However, in addition to intrinsic losses, bending losses severely limit plasmon propagation. In the current work, we demonstrate that propagation of surface plasmon polaritons around 90° turns in silver nanoparticle chains occurs without bending losses. Using a far-field fluorescence method, bleach-imaged plasmon propagation (BlIPP), which creates a permanent map of the plasmonic near-field through bleaching of a fluorophore coated on top of a plasmonic waveguide, we measured propagation lengths at 633 nm for straight and bent silver nanoparticle chains of 8.0 ± 0.5 and 7.8 ± 0.4 μm, respectively. These propagation lengths were independent of the input polarization. We furthermore show that subradiant plasmon modes yield a longer propagation length compared to energy transport via excitation of super-radiant modes.

Quadrupole-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Dark, nonradiating plasmonic modes are important in the Raman enhancement efficiency of nanostructures. However, it is challenging to engineer such hotspots with predictable enhancement efficiency through synthesis routes. Here, we demonstrate that spiky nanoshells have designable quadrupole resonances that efficiently enhance Raman scattering with unprecedented reproducibility on the single particle level. The efficiency and reproducibility of Quadrupole Enhanced Raman Scattering (QERS) is due to their heterogeneous structure, which broadens the quadrupole resonance both spatially and spectrally. This spectral breadth allows for simultaneous enhancement of both the excitation and Stokes frequencies. The quadrupole resonance can be tuned by simple modifications of the nanoshell geometry. The combination of tunability, high efficiency, and reproducibility makes these nanoshells an excellent candidate for applications such as biosensing, nanoantennaes, and photovoltaics.

Measuring the Hydrodynamic Size of Nanoparticles Using Fluctuation Correlation Spectroscopy.

Fluctuation correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a well-established analytical technique traditionally used to monitor molecular diffusion in dilute solutions, the dynamics of chemical reactions, and molecular processes inside living cells. In this review, we present the recent use of FCS for measuring the size of colloidal nanoparticles in solution. We review the theoretical basis and experimental implementation of this technique and its advantages and limitations. In particular, we show examples of the use of FCS to measure the size of gold nanoparticles, monitor the rotational dynamics of gold nanorods, and investigate the formation of protein coronas on nanoparticles.

Modal interference in spiky nanoshells

Near-field enhancement of the electric field by metallic nanostructures is important in non-linear optical applications such as surface enhanced Raman scattering. One approach to producing strong localization of the electric field is to couple a dark, non-radiating plasmonic mode with a broad dipolar resonator that is detectable in the far-field. However, characterizing or predicting the degree of the coupling between these modes for a complicated nanostructure can be quite challenging. Here we develop a robust method to solve the T-matrix, the matrix that predicts the scattered electric fields of the incident light, based on finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and least square fitting algorithms. This method allows us to simultaneously calculate the T-matrix for a broad spectral range. Using this method, the coupling between the electric dipole and quadrupole modes of spiky nanoshells is evaluated. It is shown that the built-in disorder in the structure of these nanoshells allows for coupling between the dipole modes of various orientations as well as coupling between the dipole and the quadrupole modes. A coupling strength of about 5% between these modes can explain the apparent interference features observed in the single particle scattering spectrum. This effect is experimentally verified by single particle backscattering measurements of spiky nanoshells. The modal interference in disordered spiky nanoshells can explain the origin of the spectrally broad quadrupole resonances that result in strong Quadrupole Enhanced Raman Scattering (QERS) in these nanoparticles.