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Nonlinear Optical Properties of Large-Sized Gold Nanorods

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Abstract

The nonlinear optical properties of single gold nanorods (GNRs) with a large diameter of ∼200 nm and a long length of ∼800 nm were investigated by using a focused femtosecond (fs) laser light with tunable wavelength. While the linear and nonlinear optical properties of small-sized GNRs have been extensively studied, the nonlinear optical properties of large-sized GNRs and the effects of high-order surface plasmon resonances remain unexplored. Second harmonic generation (SHG) or/and two-photon-induced luminescence (TPL) were observed in the nonlinear response spectra, and their dependences on excitation wavelength and polarization were examined. The scattering and absorption spectra of the small- and large-sized GNRs were compared by using the discrete dipole approximation method. It was found that the extinction of large-sized GNRs is dominated by scattering rather than absorption, which is dominant in small-sized GNRs. In addition, it was revealed that the excitation wavelength-dependent SHG of a GNR is governed by the linear scattering of the GNR and the maximum SHG is achieved at the valley of the scattering spectrum. In comparison, the excitation wavelength dependence of TPL is determined by the absorption spectrum of the GNR. The polarization-dependent SHG of a GNR exhibits a strong dependence on the dimension of the GNR, and it may appear as bipolar distributions parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the GNR or multipole distributions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51171066 and 11374109), the Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20114407110002), and the project for high-level professionals in the universities of Guangdong province, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Nanophotonic Functional Materials and Devices, School of Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Guangyin Liu, Guangcan Li, Lei Chen, Qiaofeng Dai & Sheng Lan

  2. College of Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Haidong Deng

  3. School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Shaolong Tie

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  1. Guangyin Liu
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  2. Haidong Deng
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  3. Guangcan Li
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  4. Lei Chen
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  5. Qiaofeng Dai
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  6. Sheng Lan
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  7. Shaolong Tie
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Correspondence to Sheng Lan.

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Liu, G., Deng, H., Li, G. et al. Nonlinear Optical Properties of Large-Sized Gold Nanorods. Plasmonics 9, 1471–1480 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9766-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9766-4

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