Active molecular plasmonics: tuning surface plasmon resonances by exploiting molecular dimensions
Chen Kai,
Leong Eunice Sok Ping,
Rukavina Michael,
Nagao Tadaaki,
Liu Yan Jun,
Zheng Yuebing
Affiliations
Chen Kai
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science
and Engineering Program, and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas
at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
Leong Eunice Sok Ping
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency
for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 3 Research Link, Singapore
117602, Singapore
Rukavina Michael
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science
and Engineering Program, and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas
at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
Nagao Tadaaki
International Center for Material Nanoarchitectonics
(MANA), National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan;
CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan
Liu Yan Jun
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency
for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 3 Research Link, Singapore
117602, Singapore
Zheng Yuebing
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science
and Engineering Program, and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas
at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
Molecular plasmonics explores and exploits the molecule–plasmon interactions on metal nanostructures to harness light at the nanoscale for nanophotonic spectroscopy and devices. With the functional molecules and polymers that change their structural, electrical, and/or optical properties in response to external stimuli such as electric fields and light, one can dynamically tune the plasmonic properties for enhanced or new applications, leading to a new research area known as active molecular plasmonics (AMP). Recent progress in molecular design, tailored synthesis, and self-assembly has enabled a variety of scenarios of plasmonic tuning for a broad range of AMP applications. Dimension (i.e., zero-, two-, and threedimensional) of the molecules on metal nanostructures has proved to be an effective indicator for defining the specific scenarios. In this review article, we focus on structuring the field of AMP based on the dimension of molecules and discussing the state of the art of AMP. Our perspective on the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the emerging field of AMP is also included.
