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Plasmonic resonance-enhanced local photothermal energy deposition by aluminum nanoparticles

Journal of Nanoparticle Research volume 15, Article number: 1678 (2013) Cite this article

Abstract

Local energy deposition of aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) by localized surface plasmon resonance-enhanced photothermal effects is demonstrated. Low-power light stimuli are efficiently and locally concentrated to trigger the oxidation reactions of Al NPs because of the large ohmic absorption and high reactivity of the Al. Numerical simulations show that both ultraviolet and visible light are more efficient than infrared light for photothermal energy coupling. The natural oxidation layer of alumina is found to have minimum impact on the energy deposition because of its negligible dielectric losses. The near-field distributions of the electric field indicate that slight aggregation induces much higher local enhancement, especially at the interface region of multiple contacting nanoparticles.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge encouragement and support from AFOSR program officer Dr. Chiping Li. The work at the University of Tennessee Knoxville was also supported by NSF CBET-1032523. Funding is also provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory under Contract No. FA8650-12-C-2200. Zhili Zhang was partially supported by an ASEE Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship. This manuscript has been cleared for public release (No. 88ABW-2012-6209).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Xinyuan Chong & Zhili Zhang

  2. Spectral Energies, LLC, 5100 Springfield Street, Suite 301, Dayton, OH, 45431, USA

    Naibo Jiang & Sukesh Roy

  3. Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH, 45433, USA

    James R. Gord

Authors
  1. Xinyuan Chong
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  2. Naibo Jiang
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  3. Zhili Zhang
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  4. Sukesh Roy
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  5. James R. Gord
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Correspondence to Zhili Zhang.

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Chong, X., Jiang, N., Zhang, Z. et al. Plasmonic resonance-enhanced local photothermal energy deposition by aluminum nanoparticles. J Nanopart Res 15, 1678 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1678-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1678-2

Keywords

  • Aluminum nanoparticles
  • Photothermal
  • Plasmonics
  • Reactivity
  • Energy deposition