title: Single Gold Nanorod Charge Modulation in an Ion Gel Device.
abstract: A reliable and reproducible method to rapidly charge single gold nanocrystals in a solid-state device is reported. Gold nanorods (Au NRs) were integrated into an ion gel capacitor, enabling them to be charged in a transparent and highly capacitive device, ideal for optical transmission. Changes in the electron concentration of a single Au NR were observed with dark-field imaging spectroscopy via localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) shifts in the scattering spectrum. A time-resolved, laser-illuminated, dark-field system was developed to enable direct measurement of single particle charging rates with time resolution below one millisecond. The added sensitivity of this new approach has enabled the optical detection of fewer than 110 electrons on a single Au NR. Single wavelength resonance shifts provide a much faster, more sensitive method for all surface plasmon-based sensing applications.
authors.forename: Sean S E
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Multi-scale Manufacturing Technology, Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chongqing, 400714, China.
authors.forename: Xingzhan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Monash University , Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Funston
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mulvaney
keywords: Gold nanorods; dark-field microscopy; ion gel; plasmonics; single particle spectroscopy; solid-state charging