PLASMON HYBRIDIZATION IN COMPLEX NANOSTRUCTURES Surface Plasmon Nanophotonics

The recent development of a multitude of different metal-based nanoparticles and nanostructures has been fueled by a variety of uses for these structures in spectroscopic, biomedical, and photonic applications. Examples include biosensing applications such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing, Raman spectroscopy, whole blood immunoassays, and in vivo optical contrast agents. In addition to sensing, medical applications include drug delivery materials and photothermal cancer therapy. New synthesis procedures have produced nanoparticle morphologies such as rods, shells, cups, rings, and cubes. Complementary to nanoparticle chemistry, new planar fabrication methods have produced a variety of nanopatterned metal films that can support both propagating and localized surface plasmons. The applications of these metal nanostructures take advantage of the enhancement of the local electromagnetic field associated with their plasmon resonances. In general, the frequency at which these plasmon resonances occurs is determined both by the dielectric properties of the materials composing the nanoparticles and the geometry of the nanoparticles.