title: Localized control of light-matter interactions by using nanoscale asymmetric TiO2.
abstract: This paper reports an asymmetry structure-mediated route for highly localized control of light-matter interactions by using tapered   TiO(2). We demonstrate for the first time that the growth habit of Ag nanostructures on tapered TiO(2) can be tuned by controllable photolysis. Site-selective anchoring of Ag nanoparticles or nanowires on tapered TiO(2) can be achieved by simply changing the external light. We further show that the obtained tapered TiO(2)-Ag hetero-nanostructures present excellent light-trapping ability over a wide range of wavelengths which is considered to originate from the unique synergistic effects of graded waveguiding and plasmonic light trapping. This improved photon-management capability renders the prepared substrate a very promising candidate for optical sensing application. For this purpose, an enhanced sensitivity for trace detection is confirmed. These findings open up promising avenues for tailoring of light-matter interactions which are of special interest for studying controllable photolysis activation processes and diverse applications such as nanostructure growth, trace detection, photocatalysis and solar cells.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, People's Republic of China. sfzhou@zju.edu.cn
authors.forename: Shifeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Tomoyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimotsuma
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakakura
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: Zhanglian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jianrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirao
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miura