Engineering Optical Absorption in Late Transition-Metal Nanoparticles by Alloying

Alloying is an increasingly important handle to engineer the optical properties of metal nanoparticles that find applications in, for example, optical metamaterials, nanosensors, and plasmon-enhanced catalysis. One advantage of alloying over traditionally used particle size and shape engineering is that it, in principle, enables tuning of optical properties without a spectral shift of the localized surface plasmon resonance, which is important for applications where a specific spectral band is targeted. A second advantage is that alloying simultaneously enables adjustment of nanoparticle electronic, chemical, mechanical, and light absorption properties. However, a systematic survey of the impact of alloying on light absorption in metal nanoparticles does not exist, despite its key role in applications that include photothermal therapy, plasmonic heat generation, and plasmon catalysis. Therefore, we present here the systematic screening of the light absorption properties of binary late transition-metal alloys composed of Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, and Pt in the visible spectral range, based on a combination of experiments and finite-difference time-domain simulations, and discuss in detail the underlying physics. By studying these 10 alloy systems for 14 different nanoparticle sizes, we find that most nanoparticles experience a maximal absorption efficiency at around 80 nm particle diameter, and that most alloy systems outperform their neat constituents, with integrated absorption enhancement factors of up to 200%. This highlights the untapped potential of alloying for the engineering of light absorption in nanoparticles, and the presented material screening constitutes a resource for the rational selection of alloy systems with tailored absorption properties.

Automated summary

Alloying is an important method to control the optical properties of metal nanoparticles, with numerous applications in optical metamaterials, nanosensors, and plasmon-enhanced catalysis. It allows for tuning of optical properties without shifting the localized surface plasmon resonance and simultaneously adjusting other properties. However, the impact of alloying on light absorption in metal nanoparticles has not been systematically explored. In this study, we screen the light absorption properties of binary late transition-metal alloys and find that most nanoparticles exhibit maximal absorption efficiency at around 80 nm diameter and alloy systems outperform their constituents with absorption enhancement factors up to 200%.