Asymmetrical Plasmon Distribution in Hybrid AuAg Hollow/Solid Coded Nanotubes

Morphological control at the nanoscale paves the way to fabricate nanostructures with desired plasmonic properties. In this study, we discuss the nanoengineering of plasmon resonances in 1D hollow nanostructures of two different AuAg nanotubes, including completely hollow nanotubes and hybrid nanotubes with solid Ag and hollow AuAg segments. Spatially resolved plasmon mapping by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) revealed the presence of high order resonator-like modes and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes in both nanotubes. The experimental findings accurately correlated with the boundary element method (BEM) simulations. Both experiments and simulations revealed that the plasmon resonances are intensely present inside the nanotubes due to plasmon hybridization. Based on the experimental and simulated results, we show that the novel hybrid AuAg nanotubes possess two significant coexisting features: (i) LSPRs are distinctively generated from the hollow and solid parts of the hybrid AuAg nanotube, which creates a way to control a broad range of plasmon resonances with one single nanostructure, and (ii) the periodicity of the high-order modes are disrupted due to the plasmon hybridization by the interaction of solid and hollow parts, resulting in an asymmetrical plasmon distribution in 1D nanostructures. The asymmetry could be modulated/engineered to control the coded plasmonic nanotubes.

Automated summary

Morphological control is essential for fabricating nanostructures with desired plasmonic properties. This study investigates the nanoengineering of plasmon resonances in AuAg nanotubes, including completely hollow nanotubes and hybrid nanotubes with solid Ag and hollow AuAg segments. Both experiments and simulations show that plasmon resonances are strongly present inside the nanotubes due to plasmon hybridization. The hybrid AuAg nanotubes exhibit distinctive plasmonic features, allowing for a broad range of plasmon resonances and the modulation of asymmetrical plasmon distributions.