Chemical Method Based on Thermally Activated Free Radical Polymerization to Determine the Temperature in Thermoplasmonics

Abstract

Knowing the temperature generated by a sample of metal nanoparticles illuminated by a laser beam, i.e., thermoplasmonics, is crucial, whether for applications in physics, chemistry, or biology. Here, we present a chemical method based on the observation of a thermal polymerization reaction of acrylate monomers. The method is easy to use and provides a fast indication of whether the sample exceeds a threshold temperature of 130 °C. This chemical method has been validated experimentally and numerically for dense gold nanoislands under continuous laser illumination. It is extremely interesting for assessing thermoplasmonic effects on a fundamental level or for applications in the preparation of metal/polymer nanocomposites.