The
design of hybrid nanostructures composed of plasmonic metals
and semiconductor oxides plays a major role in determining their efficiency
for the conversion of solar energy. In this work, the light-harvesting
properties of spherical core–shell hybrid nanostructures composed
of a plasmonic metal core (Au, Ag, and Al) coated by a magnetite (Fe3O4) shell have been investigated through systematic
discrete dipole approximation simulations. The diameter of the plasmonic
core D was varied in the range of 5–90 nm, while the thickness
of the Fe3O4 shell S was varied in the range
of 2–40 nm. It was found that for a given set of D and S values,
the absorbed photon flux within the Fe3O4 shell,
ϕ, increases in the order Al, Au, and Ag. Furthermore, for a
given size, which is D + 2S = constant, the largest ϕ value
is approximately achieved when D/S = 3, 4, and 5 for Al, Au, and Ag
as the core material, respectively. In addition, it was empirically
found that ϕ correlates directly with the predictor K, a quantity
that depends on D, S, and the resonance energy of the plasmon. The
results presented contribute to expanding the tool kit that allows
optimizing the design of hybrid nanostructures in order to improve
their photoactive properties.
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