Polarization-dependent phase transition temperature in plasmonic thin films

Abstract

Nano-engineering the effective, macroscopic properties of composite materials is becoming increasingly important in material sciences and device development. Here, we report on using embedded plasmonic nanorods to modify the effective, as opposed to the intrinsic, phase transition temperature of vanadium oxide, a phase change material vital for infrared imaging and thermochromics. The nanorods function as controllable, nano-sized thermal sources through the excitation and dissipation of surface plasmons. The polarization dependence in the excitation efficiency modifies the effective phase transition temperature by up to 4.2 °C under broadband illumination of 5.0 W. This work constitutes a proof-of-principle demonstration of tunable and reversible plasmonic modulation of the phase transition temperature in a phase change material. It also represents a new strategy of thermo-plasmonic engineering at the nanoscale.

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ORCID for Xu Fang: orcid.org/0000-0003-1735-2654

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