Determining the Molecular Dipole Orientation on Nanoplasmonic Structures

Thomas A.R. Purcell, Shira Yochelis, Yossi Paltiel, Tamar Seideman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

We developed a theoretical method to investigate the effects of the orientation of a molecular monolayer on plasmonic systems. Molecular layers strongly alter the plasmonic resonance of nanoparticles, affecting their ability to couple to other nanoparticles and quantum emitters. The ability to understand how the coating impacts the optical properties of the nanostructures is critical for the application of plasmonics in areas such as light detection, sensing, and plasmon-enhanced solar energy conversion. We extend the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method to include molecular layers with induced dipoles at an arbitrary orientation relative to the nanostructure's surface. Numerical calculations show how the orientation of molecular dipoles affects the plasmon resonance of both tetrahedral and ellipsoidal nanoparticles. Finally, we demonstrate how the layer impacts the coupling between ellipsoidal nanoparticle and a colloidal quantum dot.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)16901-16908
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry C
Volume122
Issue number29
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 26 2018

Funding

T.S. is grateful to the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CHE-1465201) and the Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER15612) for support of the research reported in this manuscript. T.P. thanks George Schatz for valuable conversations. We acknowledge use of the computational resources and staff contributions provided for the Quest high performance computing facility at Northwestern University, which is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research, and Northwestern University Information Technology.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • General Energy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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