Plasmon assisted thermal modulation innanoparticles

International audienceSingle-particle interactions hold the promise of nanometer-scaledevices in areas such as data communications and storage, nanolithography,waveguides, renewable energy and therapeutics. We propose that thecollective electronic properties possessed by noble metal nanoparticlesmay be exploited for device actuation via the unapparent mechanism ofplasmon-assisted heat generation and flux. The temperature dependence ofthe dielectric function and the thermal transport properties of the particlesplay the central role in the feasibility of the thermally-actuated system,however the behavior of these thermoplasmonic processes is unclear. Weexperimentally and computationally analyzed modulation via thermoplasmonicprocesses on a test system of gold (Au) nano-islands. Modulation andenergy transport in discontinuous domains exhibited quantitatively differentcharacteristics compared to thin films. The results have implications for allsurface plasmon based nano-devices where inevitable small-scale thermalprocesses are present