Light-Driven Self-Oscillation of Thermoplasmonic Nanocolloids

Stefano A. Mezzasalma, Joscha Kruse, Stefan Merkens, Eneko Lopez, Andreas Seifert, Roberto Morandotti, Marek Grzelczak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Self-oscillation—the periodic change of a system under a non-periodic stimulus—is vital for creating low-maintenance autonomous devices in soft robotics technologies. Soft composites of macroscopic dimensions are often doped with plasmonic nanoparticles to enhance energy dissipation and generate periodic response. However, while it is still unknown whether a dispersion of photonic nanocrystals may respond to light as a soft actuator, a dynamic analysis of nanocolloids self-oscillating in a liquid is also lacking. This study presents a new self-oscillator model for illuminated colloidal systems. It predicts that the surface temperature of thermoplasmonic nanoparticles and the number density of their clusters jointly oscillate at frequencies ranging from infrasonic to acoustic values. New experiments with spontaneously clustering gold nanorods, where the photothermal effect alters the interplay of light (stimulus) with the disperse system on a macroscopic scale, strongly support the theory. These findings enlarge the current view on self-oscillation phenomena and anticipate the colloidal state of matter to be a suitable host for accommodating light-propelled machineries. In broad terms, a complex system behavior is observed, which goes from periodic solutions (Hopf–Poincaré–Andronov bifurcation) to a new dynamic attractor driven by nanoparticle interactions, linking thermoplasmonics to nonlinearity and chaos.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2302987
JournalAdvanced Materials
Volume35
Issue number41
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023 Oct 12
Externally publishedYes

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Physical Chemistry

Free keywords

  • energy transport
  • nanoparticles
  • reversible clustering
  • self-oscillation
  • thermoplasmonics

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