Photochromic control of a plasmon–quantum dots coupled system

Gwénaëlle Lamri (1) , Artur Movsesyan (1) , Edite Figueiras (2) , Jana Nieder (2) , Jean Aubard (3) , Pierre-Michel Adam (1) , Christophe Couteau (1) , Nordin Félidj (3) , Anne-Laure Baudrion (1)

1 L2n - Lumière, nanomatériaux et nanotechnologies
2 INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory
3 ITODYS (UMR_7086) - Interfaces, Traitements, Organisation et Dynamique des Systèmes

The control of quantum dot (QD) photoluminescence (PL) is a challenge for many applications. It is well known that plasmonic resonances can enhance this PL. In this work, we couple QDs with silver nanoparticles and immerse the system in a photochromic organic material. As these molecules are optical switches going from a transparent to a colored isomer by absorbing UV light, we observe on one hand a Förster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) between the QD emission and the absorbing isomer and on the other hand a plasmonic PL enhancement. The photochromic transition leads to the optical control of the FRET, allowing us to control the QD de-excitation preferences (radiative or non-radiative) and so the emitted light.

Domaines: Optique / photonique

Gwénaëlle Lamri, Artur Movsesyan, Edite Figueiras, Jana Nieder, Jean Aubard, et al.. Photochromic control of a plasmon–quantum dots coupled system. Nanoscale, 2019, 11 (1), pp.258-265. ⟨10.1039/C8NR08076C⟩. ⟨hal-02311021⟩