The optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures have been extensively studied in recent years. However, practical applications of these structures are severely limited due to the size restrictions imposed during the fabrication process. We investigate, using 3D full field numerical calculations, the optical properties of self-assembled, lithography-free supracolloidal nanostructures formed by gold and silver. These metamolecules have well-controlled geometries, mimicking the structures of much smaller molecules such as Carbon Dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) but with metallic nanoparticles occupying each site. Here, we present the local electric field distributions generated by these structures as a function of their geometries and metallic compositions. We determine the transmission and reflection spectra of incoming light as a function of wavelength and identify the localized plasmon resonances present in these structures, see fig 1 for the electric field profile of a set of metamolecules. In addition, we can induce chirality in these structures by manipulating their geometry/composition. The fabrication of thin films made of supracolloids can be easily scaled up, without requiring lithography methods. We will present a detailed discussion of the near and far field distributions of these structures. Our approach can be used in sensing applications for biological systems and in nanophotonic devices.

Optical properties of self-assembled supracolloidal nanostructures for metamolecules

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.