Articles techniques et présentations

In recent years, plasmonic effects have attracted considerable attention as a powerful approach for initiating and controlling chemical reactions. Here, we present the results of an investigation into the plasmon-driven polymerization of diazonium salts conducted within the framework of Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1636.

Nanostructured metallic surfaces are employed to excite propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at dielectric–metal interfaces. The interference between the excited SPPs and the incident light field generates highly confined standing electric near fields with enhanced field intensities. These structured near fields provide a unique platform for driving electrochemical reactions, such as the polymerization of diazonium salt solutions.

COMSOL Multiphysics is used to simulate and analyze the electric near-field distribution associated with the excited surface plasmons. Furthermore, numerical simulations are employed to optimize the geometric and material parameters of the plasmonic structures, including layer thicknesses and the geometry of the coupling nanostructures.

The simulations reveal that the wavelength of the standing near-field pattern is in excellent agreement with the experimentally determined periodicity of the polymer surface relief grating, demonstrating the predictive capability of the numerical model and providing valuable insight into the underlying plasmon-driven polymerization mechanism.