Amorphous SiO 2 samples were sequentially implanted with Ti and Cu ions and were then subjected to thermal annealing at different temperatures. The structures and optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have been characterized in detail. Our results clearly show that the pre-implantation of Ti ions into SiO 2 could strongly affect the nucleation and thermal growth of Cu NPs. Core-shell NPs consisting of Cu cores surrounded by Ti-related shells have been revealed in silica sequentially implanted with Ti and Cu ions at the same fluence of 5×10 16 cm −2 followed by 800°C annealing. The synthesized NPs exhibit significantly enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption and improved third-order nonlinear susceptibility as compared with those in the Cu singly implanted sample. The possible mechanisms responsible for the above results have been discussed.

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