title: Ultrafast spectroscopy and coherent acoustic phonons of Au-Ag core-shell nanorods.
abstract: We performed the first investigations of coherent acoustic phonons in Au-Ag core-shell nanorods, which were compared with the results of parental Au nanorods. Both breathing and extensional modes were observed in Au-Ag core-shell nanorods with ~11 nm Ag shell while only extensional modes were detected in other core-shell nanorods with 4-7 nm Ag shell. Young's modulus estimated from the oscillation period of extensional modes was found to be larger for Au-Ag core-shell nanorods with ~4 nm Ag shell, as compared with that of Au nanorods. The value of Young's modulus decreases with the increase of the Ag shell thickness and finally becomes smaller than that of Au nanorods. This phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the surface effects and the existence of grain boundaries in the lattice structure of Ag shell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda 669-1337, Japan.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiya
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Yasuro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niidome
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamai