Tuning optical properties of rhombic hybrid Au-Ag nanoparticles: A discrete dipole approximation calculation

Optimization of metallic nanoparticles was presented in this paper by aid of computational numerical calculation. The optical extinction spectra of rhombic hybrid Au-Ag nanoparticles have been calculated by the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) aided design method. Both material and the thickness of the particles can be used to effectively tune localized surface plasmon resonance. On the basis of the calculated extinction spectra, the crucial parameters of the nanostructure arrays such as thickness can be determined. Using this DDA aided approach, a hybrid Au-Ag nanoparticles array is put forth and designed with the optimized parameter of thickness of metal thin films (h_Au = 5 nm, and h_Ag = 25 nm). This study shows that the material of the particles have significant effect on the optical properties. The DDA aided design method can provide the optimized structure parameters for the hybrid nanostructures.