TY - INPR A1 - Kalady, Mohammed Fayis A1 - Schultz, Johannes A1 - Weinel, Kristina A1 - Wolf, Daniel A1 - Lubk, Axel T1 - Localization of Hybridized Surface Plasmon Modes on Random Gold Nanoparticle Assemblies N2 - Assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) support hybridized modes of localized surface plasmons (LSPs), which delocalize in geometrically well-ordered arrangements. Here, the hybridization behavior of LSPs in geometrically completely disordered arrangements of Au NPs fabricated by an e-beam synthesis method is studied. Employing electron energy loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope in combination with numerical simulations, the disorder-driven spatial and spectral localization of the coupled LSP modes that depend on the NP thickness is revealed. Below 0.4nm sample thickness (flat NPs), localization increases towards higher hybridized LSP mode energies. In comparison, above 10nm thickness, a decrease of localization (an increase of delocalization) with higher mode energies is observed. In the intermediate thickness regime, a transition of the energy dependence of the localization between the two limiting cases, exhibiting a transition mode energy with minimal localization, is observed. This behavior is mainly driven by the energy and thickness dependence of the polarizability of the individual NPs. KW - Plasmonics KW - Electron-Energy Loss Spectroscopy KW - Discrete Dipole Approximation KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618323 DO - https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2410.10514 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Cornell University CY - Ithaca, NY AN - OPUS4-61832 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feng, Wen A1 - Schulz, Johannes A1 - Wolf, Daniel A1 - Pylypenko, Sergii A1 - Gemming, Thomas A1 - Weinel, Kristina A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Büchner, Bernd A1 - Lubk, Axel T1 - Secondary electron emission from gold microparticles in a transmission electron microscope: comparison of Monte Carlo simulations with experimental results N2 - We measure the electron beam-induced current to analyze the electron-induced secondary electron (SE) emission from micron-sized gold particles illuminated by 80 and 300 keV electrons in a transmission electron microscope. A direct comparison of the experimental and simulated SE emission (SEE) employing Monte Carlo scattering simulations based on the GEANT4 toolkit yields overall good agreement with a noticeable discrepancy arising from the shortcoming of the GEANT4 scattering cross sections in the low-loss regime. Thus, the electron beam-induced current analysis allows to quantify the inelastic scattering including SEE in the transmission electron microscope and provides further insight into the charging mechanisms. KW - Electron beam-induced current KW - Transmission electron microscopy KW - Secondary electron emission KW - Secondary electron yield KW - Gold micronoparticle PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-622557 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ad9840 VL - 58 IS - 8 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - IOP Publishing CY - Bristol, GB AN - OPUS4-62255 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weinel, Kristina A1 - Schultz, Johannes A1 - Kalady, Mohammed Fayis A1 - Wolf, Daniel A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Lubk, Axel T1 - Fabrication of 2-dimensional disordered assemblies of gold nanoparticles and investigation of localized surface plasmon resonances N2 - Interaction of electromagnetic waves, such as electron beams or light, with conductive material can lead to localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) where the incoming energy can be deposited in a collective excitation of electrons of the conduction band, which in turn can result in coherent localized plasmon oscillations. LSPR in metallic nanostructures, such as nanoparticles (NPs), which are sensitive to geometry, material composition and environment, are currently utilized in a wide range of applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, plasmonic wave guides, improved solar cells, on-chip particle accelerators and nanoantennas. A host of studies that focus on plasmonic NPs ranging from single NPs with several shapes (cubic, spherical, tetrahedral) over 1D assemblies of NPs such as chains, to ordered 2D assemblies of NPs show an increase of the complexity regarding the hybridization behavior of LSPRs eventually lead to delocalized Surface Plasmons. Furthermore, Anderson predicted in 1977 the absence of diffusion or delocalization of waves in disordered systems, which has been discussed as the underlying mechanism for LSPRs localization in disordered metallic thin films and ultrathin 2D networks. Our aim is to further develop these studies on the surface plasmon localization in disordered structures by (1) developing a novel NPs assembly fabrication method that allows fabricating disordered assemblies of NPs of a wide range of NPs sizes, and (2) probing the LSPR with high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Moreover, the dominant dipolar interaction between the NPs, also facilitates an efficient numerical modeling of these systems, which in comparison with the experiments allows for an in-depth study of the impact of various geometric parameters as well as retardation and life-time damping on the observed localization behavior. To synthesize 2D disordered assemblies of gold NPs on a TEM transparent silicon oxide substrate, a new synthesis routine was developed. This procedure is based on sublimation and redeposition of a gold microparticle precursor induced by an electron beam in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) operated at 30 kV. To characterize the assembly of synthesized NPs in terms of size, shape and spreading over the substrate, TEM measurements were conducted subsequently. To study LSPRs experimentally, EELS in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode was carried out. The numerical modelling of LSPRs was performed using a self-consistent dipole model. The synthesized 2D disordered gold NPs assemblies exhibit a gradient in the NPs mean size, which ranges from 100 nm close to the precursor location down to 2 nm at a distance of more than 20 µm from the precursor location. Additionally, the interparticle distance between the gold NPs increases with increasing distance to the precursor location. The experimental investigation as well as the numerical simulation of the LSPRs demonstrate a localization behavior that decreases toward larger energies, which is driven by the disorder of the NPs assembly (mainly the random particle distance). That localization behavior stays in contrast to what was found in ultrathin 2D gold networks showing increasing of localization towards higher LSPRs energies. By varying the geometric parameters of the NPs assembly in the simulation, we could identify the NPs thickness as the parameter, that determines the energy-dependence of the localization. Specifically, a critical thickness of approx. 10 nm separates the two localization regimes, which correlates to the energy of the dipole mode resonance crucially depending on the thickness of the NPs. 2D disordered assemblies of gold NPs of a wide range of NPs sizes and distances can be synthesized directly on thin substrates facilitating structural characterization and EELS measurements in a TEM. It could be shown that such assemblies exhibit LSPRs with a localization behavior that may be tuned by the NPs sizes (including thickness) and interparticle distances. The proposed synthesis of random NPs assemblies opens new avenues for fundamental studies on Anderson localization in disordered plasmonic structures as well as its applications such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy where localization behavior must be tuned to specific wave lengths. T2 - 17th European Microscopy Congress (EMC 2024) CY - Copenhagen, Denmark DA - 26.08.2024 KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Gold nanoparticle synthesis KW - Disordered assemblies KW - Localized surface plasmon resonances KW - Transmission electron microscopy PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618330 DO - https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202412932007 VL - 129 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis AN - OPUS4-61833 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fayis Kalady, Mohammed A1 - Schultz, Johannes A1 - Weinel, Kristina A1 - Wolf, Daniel A1 - Lubk, Axel T1 - Geometry-dependent localization of surface plasmons on random gold nanoparticle assemblies N2 - Assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) support hybridized modes of localized surface plasmons (LSPs), which delocalize in geometrically well-ordered arrangements. Here, the hybridization behavior of LSPs in geometrically completely disordered two-dimensional arrangements of Au NPs fabricated by an e-beam synthesis method is studied. Employing electron energy loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope and numerical simulations, the disorder-driven spatial and spectral localization of the coupled LSP modes that depends on the NP thickness is revealed. Below a NP thickness of 0.4 nm, localization increases toward higher hybridized LSP mode energies. In comparison, above 10 nm thickness, a decrease of localization toward higher mode energies is observed. In the intermediate thickness regime, a transition of the energy dependence of the localization between the two limiting cases, exhibiting a mode energy with minimal localization, is observed. It is shown that this behavior is mainly driven by the energy and thickness dependence of the polarizability of the individual NPs. KW - Gold Nanoparticles KW - Surface plasmons KW - Electron enerdy loss spectroscopy (EELS) KW - scanning transmission electron microscopy PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647230 DO - https://doi.org/10.1103/44nk-6bp2 SN - 2643-1564 VL - 7 IS - 043053 EP - 4 PB - American Physical Society AN - OPUS4-64723 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -