Plasmonics under Attack: Protecting Copper Nanostructures from Harsh Environments
Plasmonics under Attack: Protecting Copper Nanostructures from Harsh Environments
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DOI：
10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c02715
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发表时间：
2020-08-11
影响因子：
8.6
通讯作者：
Neretina, Svetlana
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Preston, Arin S.;Hughes, Robert A.;Neretina, Svetlana
定制良好的纳米材料的功能只有在它们对其工作所在的环境因素具有健壮性的情况下才能被保留。铜不能承受这些因素，这在很大程度上是它目前作为第二层等离子体纳米材料的地位的原因。在这里，证明了原子层沉积可以作为一种柔韧的技术，将氧化物涂层应用于衬底基铜纳米结构，其中适当保护的结构变得对氧化、高温以及水、酸和碱性溶液具有很强的耐受性，而不会过度影响重要的等离子体性质。此外，还提出了使等离子体近场最大化的策略，并在保持涂层完整性的同时允许热电子的传输。研究结果表明，不存在一刀切的方法，但涂层设计必须遵循特定于应用的方法。在研究范围内，氧化铝、氢氧化铝、二氧化钛及其组合都被证明在某些条件下是有效的，但在极端pH环境中表现出最高耐用性的地方，以及氧化铝-氢氧化铝多层膜为铜提供了在高达600摄氏度的温度下免受氧化的保护。该工作推动了铜纳米结构作为耐用等离子体材料的使用，并为保护其他易受恶劣环境影响的脆弱纳米材料提供了广泛的策略。
The functionality of well-tailored nanomaterials can only be retained if they are robust to the environmental factors in which they operate. The inability of Cu to withstand such factors is largely responsible for its current status as a second-tier plasmonic nanomaterial. Herein, it is demonstrated that atomic layer deposition can be used as a pliable technique for the application of oxide coatings to substrate-based Cu nanostructures where suitably protected structures become robust to oxidation, high temperatures, and aqueous, acidic, and alkaline solutions without unduly influencing important plasmonic properties. Moreover, strategies are presented for maximizing plasmonic near-fields and allowing for the transport of hot electrons while maintaining coating integrity. The findings demonstrate that there does not exist a one-solution-fits-all approach but that coating design must follow an application-specific methodology. Within the scope of the investigation, alumina, hafnia, titania, and combinations thereof were all shown to be effective under certain conditions, but where hafnia shows the greatest durability in extreme pH environments and alumina-hafnia multilayers provide Cu with protection from oxidation to temperatures as high as 600 degrees C. The work advances the use of Cu nanostructures as durable plasmonic materials and provides broad-based strategies for protecting other vulnerable nanomaterials from harsh environments.