Structural Variation in Ag-Co Nanostructures Embedded in TiO2 Thin Films Fabricated by Pulsed Laser Deposition

We investigated the structural variation of Ag-Co nanostructures in AgxCo5(TiO2)(95) nanocomposite films with varying pulsed laser deposition conditions. The shape, size, and distribution of the nanostructures were significantly affected by the Ag content (x) and the substrate temperature. Ag-Co nanomatch-like structures appeared only at a specific condition and changed from rod-like to spherical with increasing x. A broad peak owing to Ag local-surface plasmon resonance was observed in the absorption spectra, which systematically shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing x.