Active molecular plasmonics: controlling plasmon resonances with molecular switches.

Zheng, Yue Bing; Yang, Ying-Wei; Jensen, Lasse; Fang, Lei; Juluri, Bala Krishna; Flood, Amar H; Weiss, Paul S; Stoddart, J Fraser et al. · Nano Lett · 2009

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

A gold nanodisk array, coated with bistable, redox-controllable [2]rotaxane molecules, when exposed to chemical oxidants and reductants, undergoes switching of its plasmonic properties reversibly. By contrast, (i) bare gold nanodisks and (ii) disks coated with a redox-active, but mechanically inert, control compound do not display surface-plasmon-based switching. Along with calculations based on time-dependent density functional theory, these experimental observations suggest that the nanoscale movements within surface-bound "molecular machines" can be used as the active components in plasmonic devices.