Quantum fields on driven plasmonic nanostructures yr2020 review

group at the other is used to derivatize gold nanorods. The silane group is subsequently reacted with both sodium silicate and titanium isopropoxide to a silica/titania shell around the gold nanorods. By fine tuning the reaction conditions, the silica/titania shell thickness can be controlled from {approx}5 to {approx}40nm. The resulting nanomaterials are stable, amenable to scale up and can be isolated without core aggregation or decomposition. These new materials have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, UV-Vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering analysis. Photocatalytic activity of Au-silica/titania nanomaterials under visible and UV illumination is measured via degradation of a model dye, methyl orange (MO) under visible and UV illumination. The results indicate a 3 fold improvement in the photocatalytic decomposition rate of MO under visible illumination vs. UV illumination.