Controlling the Luminescence of Gold Quantum Dots by the Plasmonic Effect of Silver Nanoprisms

Plasmonic nanostructures can be used to control the photoluminescence properties of various emitting materials. In this work, an efficient plasmon-induced energy transfer (quenching) was investigated. The luminescence intensity of gold quantum dots (AuQDs) was controlled by the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoprisms (AgNPrs). The quenching was modulated by the degree of spectral overlap between the photoluminescence band of AuQDs and the dipole plasmon resonance of AgNPrs. Furthermore, an in situ controlled quenching effect of AuQDs using an oxidative etching reaction of AgNPrs by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was demonstrated. This technique was further developed for application as a H2O2 sensor. This system was capable of detecting 1 nM H2O2 in an aqueous solution.