Plasmon Driven Nanocrystal Transformation by Aluminum Nano-Islands with an Alumina Layer.

The plasmonic photothermal effects of metal nanostructures have recently become a new priority of studies in the field of nano-optics. Controllable plasmonic nanostructures with a wide range of responses are crucial for effective photothermal effects and their applications. In this work, self-assembled aluminum nano-islands (Al NIs) with a thin alumina layer are designed as a plasmonic photothermal structure to achieve nanocrystal transformation via multi-wavelength excitation. The plasmonic photothermal effects can be controlled by the thickness of the Al2O3 and the intensity and wavelength of the laser illumination. In addition, Al NIs with an alumina layer have good photothermal conversion efficiency even in low temperature environments, and the efficiency will not decline significantly after storage in air for 3 months. Such an inexpensive Al/Al2O3 structure with a multi-wavelength response provides an efficient platform for rapid nanocrystal transformation and a potential application for the wide-band absorption of solar energy.