Controlled formation of gold nanoparticles with tunable plasmonic properties in tellurite glass

Abstract

Abstract Silicate glasses with metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have been of intense interest in art, science and technology as the plasmonic properties of the metallic NPs equip glass with light modulation capability. The so-called striking technique has enabled precise control of the in-situ formation of metallic NPs in silicate glasses for applications from coloured glasses to photonic devices. Over the past two decades, there has been a large amount of work to adapt the striking technique to form gold or silver NPs in tellurite glasses that exhibit the unique combination of easy fabrication, low phonon energy, wide transmission window and high solubility of luminescent rare earth ions. Nevertheless, the control of the in-situ formation of metal NPs and hence their plasmonic features in tellurite glasses has remained insufficient for photonic applications. Here, we first uncover the challenges of the traditional striking technique to create gold NPs in tellurite glass. Then, we demonstrate precise control of the size and concentration of gold NPs in tellurite glass by developing new approaches to both steps of the striking technique: a controlled gold crucible corrosion technique to incorporate gold ions in tellurite glass and a novel powder reheating technique to subsequently transform the gold ions to gold NPs. Using the Mie theory, the size, size distribution and concentration of the gold NPs formed in tellurite glass were determined from the plasmonic properties of the NPs. This fundamental research provides guidance to designing and manipulating the plasmonic properties in tellurite glass for photonics research and applications.