Plasmonic Nanosensors Reveal a Height Dependence of MinDE Protein Oscillations on Membrane Features.

Single-particle plasmon spectroscopy has become a standard technique to detect and quantify the presence of unlabeled macromolecules. Here, we extend this method to determine their exact distance from the plasmon sensors with sub-nanometer resolution by systematically varying the sensing range into the surrounding by adjusting the size of the plasmonic nanoparticles. We improved current single-particle plasmon spectroscopy to record continuously for hours the scattering spectra of thousands of nanoparticles of different sizes simultaneously with 1.

Highly sensitive plasmonic silver nanorods.

We compare the single-particle plasmonic sensitivity of silver and gold nanorods with similar resonance wavelengths by monitoring the plasmon resonance shift upon changing the environment from water to 12.5% sucrose solution. We find that silver nanoparticles have 1.

Light-controlled one-sided growth of large plasmonic gold domains on quantum rods observed on the single particle level.

We create large gold domains (up to 15 nm) exclusively on one side of CdS or CdSe/CdS quantum rods by photoreduction of gold ions under anaerobic conditions. Electrons generated in the semiconductor by UV stimulation migrate to one tip where they reduce gold ions. Large gold domains eventually form; these support efficient plasmon oscillations with a light scattering cross section large enough to visualize single hybrid particles in a dark-field microscope during growth in real time.

Plasmonic focusing reduces ensemble linewidth of silver-coated gold nanorods.

Silver coating gold nanorods reduces the ensemble plasmon line width by changing the relation connecting particle shape and plasmon resonance wavelength. This change, we term "plasmonic focusing", leads to less variation of resonance wavelengths for the same particle size distribution. We also find smaller single particle linewidth comparing resonances at the same wavelength but show that this does not contribute to the ensemble linewidth narrowing.