Observation and Characterization of the Surface Plasmon Resonances of Platinum Nanoshells

Abstract

The controlled fabrication, characterization, and application of nanometer-sized materials with functional properties have been studied widely.1-3 Metal nanostructures attract considerable attention scientifically as well as industrially owing to their intriguing chemico-physical properties that can be tailored as functions of nanoparticle sizes, shapes, and mutual interactions.4,5 In particular, noble-metal nanostructures have attracted enormous attention in various fields of study because of their novel properties, including large optical-field enhancements resulting in the strong scattering and absorption of light. They have possible uses in diverse applications such as devices, transistors, optoelectronics, information storages, and energy converters.1,6 Among various noble-metal nanostructures, platinum-based nanostructures especially have attracted widespread interest as platinum plays an outstanding role in multifunctional catalysts for many industrial reactions. However, because there are some crucial obstacles such as low platinum-utilization efficiency and high cost, some ways must be found to reduce the amount of platinum used in a specific application by increasing its catalytic activity in order to lower the overall cost.