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Investigation of compositionally tunable localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of a series of indium tin oxide nanocrystals prepared by one-step solvothermal synthesis

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Abstract

A series of novel nonmetallic plasmonic materials, indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals (NCs), with tunable do** ratios of tin (from 0 up to 25%), were synthesized through a one-step solvothermal method. Cubic-shaped NCs with good crystallinity and uniform-size distribution (~ 17 nm), for all do** ratios, were confirmed through the X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy images. As inferred from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma measurements, Sn is preferentially distributed close to the surface of ITO NCs. In particular, localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) were tuned from near- to mid-infrared regions only by varying the do** ratios, which is of interest, for example, to avoid high-loss levels associated with metallic nanoparticles in LSPR biosensing applications. Our work provides a series of reliable and accessible materials for the researchers who need different wavelengths of LSPR frequencies in near-infrared and/or mid-infrared regions. It will benefit the research and development of nonmetallic plasmonic materials in a wider application scope.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21327803, 21711540292, 21773080, 21611130173). W. R. is grateful to the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2014M561286).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, People’s Republic of China

    Qianwen Li, Shujun Lei, Yali Li, Yanan Wang, Bing Zhao & Weidong Ruan

  2. Department of Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of China

    Shujun Lei

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  1. Qianwen Li
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  2. Shujun Lei
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Correspondence to Weidong Ruan.

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Li, Q., Lei, S., Li, Y. et al. Investigation of compositionally tunable localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of a series of indium tin oxide nanocrystals prepared by one-step solvothermal synthesis. J Mater Sci 54, 2918–2927 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-3050-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-3050-5

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