Plasmon-based nanophotincs is becoming increasingly popular, in part because of its ability to focus light into nanometric hotspots, and improve optical processes such as solar energy conversion and light sensing. While the orientation of the sensitizer or linker molecules can play a crucial role in the final optical response of the system, determining the orientation of molecular dipoles on a metal surface remains challenging. Using the finite-difference time-domain method we developed an effective model of a random gold metal nanoisland film, and the nanostructures coupled to quantum dots. We then built on the model to investigate how the molecular linker layer impacts the absorption spectrum of the gold metal nanoisland film, and how the orientation of the monolayer modifies that impact. We go onto demonstrate how the molecular layer affects how the nanostructures couple to a CdSe 610 nm quantum dot, and propose an experimental study to qualitatively determine the orientation of the monolayer.

Determining the orientation of molecular dipoles on random 2D nanoplasmonic structures

255th National Meeting (2018)

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