Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
5 years ago

Polarization-Sensitive Single Dipoles Generated from Multiple Sharp Branches on the Surfaces of Single Gold Nanourchins

Polarization-Sensitive Single Dipoles Generated from Multiple Sharp Branches on the Surfaces of Single Gold Nanourchins
Geun Wan Kim, Ji Won Ha
Complex-structured gold nanoparticles are potential candidates for a variety of applications, including optical probes and surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates. Herein, we present detailed investigations of the optical properties of single gold nanourchins (AuNUs), which are highly branched plasmonic nanoparticles, under dark-field (DF) and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. Compared to nanostructures with simple gold nanospheres, AuNUs exhibit more distinct features. The spiky, uneven surfaces of AuNUs caused a redshift in the single-particle scattering spectra, and the defocused scattering imaging allowed us to visualize spatial scattering field distributions of single dipoles generated from the sharp and short branches on the nanourchin surface. Furthermore, DIC images and intensities of single AuNUs were investigated as a function of rotation angle at the localized surface plasmon resonance wavelength of 700 nm. The DIC intensities were changed by the spatial distributions of branches, which can generate single dipoles in multiple directions on the AuNU surface. These results further support the polarization-sensitive interference properties of the branches under DIC microscopy. Therefore, our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the scattering and interference properties of single AuNUs, and this study will be beneficial for several potential applications, including optical imaging and sensing in the fields of materials science and biology.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b06823

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b06823

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