Large scale self-assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles on deformed graphene templates

Abstract

Hierarchical heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are versatile platforms for nanoscale optoelectronics. Further coupling of these 2D materials with plasmonic nanostructures, especially in non-close-packed morphologies, imparts new metastructural properties such as increased photosensitivity as well as spectral selectivity and range. However, the integration of plasmonic nanoparticles with 2D materials has largely been limited to lithographic patterning and/or undefined deposition of metallic structures. Here we show that colloidally synthesized zero-dimensional (0D) gold nanoparticles of various sizes can be deterministically self-assembled in highly-ordered, anisotropic, non-close-packed, multi-scale morphologies with templates designed from instability-driven, deformed 2D nanomaterials. The anisotropic plasmonic coupling of the particle arrays exhibits emergent polarization-dependent absorbance in the visible to near-IR regions. Additionally, controllable metasurface arrays of nanoparticles by functionalization with varying polymer brushes modulate the plasmonic coupling between polarization dependent and independent assemblies. This self-assembly method shows potential for bottom-up nanomanufacturing of diverse optoelectronic components and can potentially be adapted to a wide array of nanoscale 0D, 1D, and 2D materials.

1D Colloidal chains: recent progress from formation to emergent properties and applications

“…10f). 464,476 Then, NPs dipor spin-coated on the film were guided by the wrinkles and assembled into NP chains. 191,[470][471][472][473][474][475] By adjusting the geometries of the cross section and its size-match with NPs, NP chains with a controlled number of layers, width and orientation could be obtained.…”

“…10f), have also been integrated into wrinkle templates to endow 1D NP chains and 2D chain arrays with additional optoelectronic properties. 464 Beside nanochannels and wrinkles, porous AAO is also widely used as a confining template, because its pore diameter and length can be uniformly controlled by simple manufacturing and template-removing procedures. SiO 2 and hollow carbon sphere chains, 477 Ag NP chains and Ag/Bi bimetallic nanowires, 446 and PS-b-PDMS peapods 445 have been produced within porous AAO by depositing NPs or their precursors, and sequentially removing solvent and AAO templates.…”

“…10f), have also been integrated into wrinkle templates to endow 1D NP chains and 2D chain arrays with additional optoelectronic properties. 464…”

Plasmonic sensors based on graphene and graphene hybrid materials

“…In addition to flat substrates such as wafer or glass, metal-graphene hybrid SERS substrates have been developed with polymers for three-dimensional (3D) structuring [ 69 , 72 , 77 ] and flexibility [ 78 – 80 ]. Leem et al reported mechanically self-assembled AuNPs on 3D structured graphene/polystyrene (PS) substrates [ 72 ].…”

Site-selective modification of metallic nanoparticles

“…This phenomenon is caused by longitudinal coupling of dipoles between AuNSs, and is extended as particles are confined in long columns on the graphene surface. 91 Plasmonic enhancement is especially useful in electronic and sensing applications and use of surface ligands has been explored as another method to control NP assembly off templates. 92 For example, Van Lehn and co-workers model the self-assembly of 5 nm AuNSs and demonstrate that thiol-coated AuNSs in particular may aggregate due to interactions between hydrophobic ligands (Fig.…”