Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 43: Plasmonics and Nanooptics IV
O 43.2: Talk
Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 10:45–11:00, H31
Plasmonic Sensing using Hydrogen induced Phase Transitions in Yttrium Nanoparticles — •Nikolai Strohfeldt1, Andreas Tittl1, Frank Neubrech1, Uwe Kreibig2, and Harald Giessen1 — 14th Physics Institute and Research Center Scope, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany — 2I. Physikalisches Institut 1A der RWTH Aachen, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
We utilize the subsequent hydration of Yttrium nanoparticles [1] to construct an extremely sensitive optical hydrogen detector. Upon the reaction pathway Y → YH2 → YH3 the material undergoes two phase transitions. The second transition from the metallic YH2 to the dielectric YH3 is reversible at room temperature and therefore highly interesting for hydrogen sensing applications. Our lithographically defined 50 nm thick and 200 nm diameter nanoparticles exhibit a strong and sharp particle plasmon resonance in the metallic YH2 state. Upon exposure with 4% H2 in N2, within seconds the particle plasmon absorption vanishes completely as the particles undergoes a reversible metal-to-insulator phase transition to YH3. This large relative change will enable the construction of novel, ultra-sensitive, optical, single-nanoparticle hydrogen sensors in the future.
[1] G. Bour, A. Reinholdt, A. Stepanov, C. Keutgen, and U. Kreibig, "Optical and electrical properties of hydrogenated yttrium nanoparticles," The European Physical Journal D 16, 219-223 (2001).