Effects of thickness & shape on localized surface plasmon resonance of sexfoil nanoparticles

Localized surface plasmon (LSPR) resonance and sensing properties of a novel nanostructure (sexfoil nanoparticle) are studied using the finite-difference time-domain method. For the sandwich sexfoil nanoparticle, the calculated extinction spectrum shows that with the thickness of the dielectric layer increasing, long-wavelength peaks blueshift, while short-wavelength peaks redshift. Strong near-field coupling of the upper and lower metal layers leads to electric and magnetic field resonances; as the thickness increases, the electric field resonance gradually increases, while the magnetic field resonance decreases. The obtained refractive index sensitivity and figure of merit are 332 nm/RIU and 3.91 RIU^-1, respectively. In order to obtain better sensing ability, we further research the LSPR character of monolayer Ag sexfoil nanoparticle. After a series of trials to optimize the thickness and shape, the refractive index sensitivity approximates 668 nm/RIU, and the greatest figure of merit value comes to 14.8 RIU^-1.