Mie-theory-based investigation of the effect of size distribution on the surface plasmon absorption of silver nanoparticles

Abstract

The surface plasmon absorption of metallic nanoparticles is of great interest due to their wide range of applications, predominantly with optical technology. Therefore, a reliable plasmon spectrum analysis tool would greatly value the researchers working in this area. Mie theory-based theoretically computed spectrum generating tools are used in the literature to analyze the surface plasmon absorption of monodisperse particles. However, none of them can accommodate size distribution contributions. As monodisperse nanoparticle dispersions are practically impossible to achieve in synthesis, incorporating the particle size distribution effect into the surface plasmon analysis tools makes them more reliable. In this study, we investigated the effect of particle size distribution on the surface plasmon absorption bands of silver nanoparticles suspended in water. Mie theory-based simulations were performed for different particle sizes ranging from 1 to 40 nm and for different size distributions. The maximum absorbance, peak position, and full width at half maximum (FWHM) variations with respect to particle radius were analyzed.