Optical properties of silver nanoparticles based on their structural defects

Abstract

The relation between the defects in island silver films produced by thermal spraying and their optical properties has been studied. The effect of defects in nanoparticles on the photo effect has been studied. Radiation with a wavelength of 355 nm (quantum energy 3.5 eV) causes a single-photon photo effect, while the work function of bulk silver is not lower than 4.2 eV. A hypothesis was put forward about the relation between defects in nanoparticles and their absorption spectra. In the process of deposition an absorption peak appears on the extinction spectra of a silver island film at a wavelength of 370 nm, which disappears within several tens of minutes after the end of deposition. It was also shown, that the defects in islands can be created artificially by irradiating them with ultraviolet light, that leads to an increase in the rate of self-diffusion in these islands upon heating. Key words: nanoparticles, defects, diffusion, extinction spectra.