Plasmonic Coupling in Linear Chains and Rings of Silver Nanoparticles Prepared by AFM Manipulation

We report the atomic force microscopy assembly of linear nanoparticle chains composed of two-to eight-particle linear and circular assemblies. Assembling particles into chains alters their plasmon resonance, forming transverse and longitudinal modes that can be excited and imaged using a polarizer and dark-field microscopy. The spectra generally agree with discrete dipole simulations, and the simulations show the importance of the dark field incident light angle. The work provides a straightforward method to assemble nanostructures with pristine nanoparticles and study their plasmonic properties.

Automated summary

This study reports the assembly of linear and circular nanoparticle chains using atomic force microscopy, and investigates their plasmonic properties. Assembly of nanoparticles into chains alters their plasmon resonance modes, which can be excited and imaged using a polarizer and dark-field microscopy. Discrete dipole simulations and the study of the incident light angle in dark-field microscopy confirm the accuracy of the experimental results.