Structure and vacancy distribution in copper telluride nanoparticles influence plasmonic activity in the near-infrared

Tom Willhammar, Kadir Sentosun, Stefanos Mourdikoudis, Bart Goris, Mert Kurttepeli, Marnik Bercx, Dirk Lamoen, Bart Partoens, Isabel Pastoriza-Santos, Jorge Pérez-Juste, Luis M. Liz-Marzán (), Sara Bals () and Gustaaf Van Tendeloo
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Tom Willhammar: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Kadir Sentosun: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Stefanos Mourdikoudis: Universidade de Vigo
Bart Goris: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Mert Kurttepeli: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Marnik Bercx: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Dirk Lamoen: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Bart Partoens: CMT Group, University of Antwerp
Isabel Pastoriza-Santos: Universidade de Vigo
Jorge Pérez-Juste: Universidade de Vigo
Luis M. Liz-Marzán: Universidade de Vigo
Sara Bals: EMAT, University of Antwerp
Gustaaf Van Tendeloo: EMAT, University of Antwerp

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Copper chalcogenides find applications in different domains including photonics, photothermal therapy and photovoltaics. CuTe nanocrystals have been proposed as an alternative to noble metal particles for plasmonics. Although it is known that deviations from stoichiometry are a prerequisite for plasmonic activity in the near-infrared, an accurate description of the material and its (optical) properties is hindered by an insufficient understanding of the atomic structure and the influence of defects, especially for materials in their nanocrystalline form. We demonstrate that the structure of Cu1.5±xTe nanocrystals can be determined using electron diffraction tomography. Real-space high-resolution electron tomography directly reveals the three-dimensional distribution of vacancies in the structure. Through first-principles density functional theory, we furthermore demonstrate that the influence of these vacancies on the optical properties of the nanocrystals is determined. Since our methodology is applicable to a variety of crystalline nanostructured materials, it is expected to provide unique insights concerning structure–property correlations.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14925

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