Preparation and characterization of silver nanoparticles on localized surface plasmon-enhanced optical absorption

Abstract

Self-assembly silver nanoparticles were successfully prepared on indium tin oxide coated glass substrates by means of a vacuum vapor evaporation method followed by thermal annealing. The nanoparticles were characterized using a field-emission scanning election microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer and a UV–vis spectrometer. It was found that the particle morphology was drastically changed depending both on the evaporated silver mass thickness and the length of time of the thermal annealing. Some absorption peaks were observed in the UV–vis spectra and the peaks showed red-shift with the average particle size increase. These facts suggest that the absorption peaks may arise from the localized surface plasmon resonance. These controllable absorptions may be suitable for photon management in dye sensitized solar cells.