In this paper, we report direct patterning of metal nanostructures using an embossed solid electrochemical stamp. Microforming of solid superionic stamps using Si templates--analogous to polymer patterning in nano-imprint lithography--is explored. Silver sulfide (Ag₂S)--a superionic conductor with excellent microforming properties--is investigated as a candidate material. Important parameters o...

We report an alternative method of producing sub-30 nm thick silver films and structures with ultralow loss using gas cluster ion beam irradiation (GCIB). We have direct evidence showing that scattering from grain boundaries and voids rather than surface roughness are the main mechanisms for the increase in loss with reducing thickness. Using GCIB irradiation, we demonstrate the ability to redu...

Plasmonic resonances in metallic nanoparticles have been used since antiquity to colour glasses. The use of metal nanostructures for surface colourization has attracted considerable interest following recent developments in plasmonics. However, current top-down colourization methods are not ideally suited to large-scale industrial applications. Here we use a bottom-up approach where picosecond ...

The search for active catalysts that efficiently oxidize methane under ambient conditions remains a challenging task for both C1 utilization and atmospheric cleansing. Here, we show that when the particle size of zinc oxide is reduced down to the nanoscale, it exhibits high activity for methane oxidation under simulated sunlight illumination, and nano silver decoration further enhances the phot...

We report the first experimental realization of all-optical trapping and manipulation of plasmonic nanowires in three dimensions. The optical beam used for trapping is the Fourier transform of a linearly polarized Bessel beam (termed FT-Bessel). The extended depth of focus of this beam enables the use of a retroreflection geometry to cancel radiation pressure in the beam propagation direction, ...

Reflection of near-infrared light is important for preventing heat transfer in energy saving applications. A large-area, mass-producible reflector that contains randomly distributed disk-shaped silver nanoparticles and that exhibits high reflection at near-infrared wavelengths was demonstrated. Although resonant coupling between incident light and the nanostructure of the reflector plays some r...

The understanding of the localized surface plasmons (LSPs) that occur at the geometrically bounded surface of metal nanoparticles continues to advance as new and more complex nanostructures are found. It has been shown that the oscillation of electrons at the metal dielectric interface is strongly dependent on the size, symmetry, and proximity of nanoparticles. Here, we present a new method to ...

Engineering symmetry breaking in seed-mediated growth is a fundamental challenge to produce colloidal nanocrystals with controlled morphologies and properties. In this work, we show simple, aqueous approach the inversion of silver nanorods by restricting one end pentatwinned gold bipyramid seed. Controlled addition dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) allows us tune both length width objects. Simulations ...

Hybrid graphene oxide/silver nanocubes (GO/AgNCs) arrays for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications were prepared by means of two procedures differing for the method used in the assembly of the silver nanocubes onto the surface: Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) transfer and direct sequential physisorption of silver nanocubes (AgNCs). Adsorption of graphene oxide (GO) flakes on the AgNC a...

We present a computational, atomistic electrodynamics investigation of the effects of planar defects on the optical properties of silver nanocubes, where the planar defects we considered are different surface orientations, twins, partial dislocations, and full dislocations. We find that for nanocubes smaller than about 3 nm, the optical response is very sensitive to the specific surface structu...