Localized surface plasmon resonances in the ultraviolet from large scale nanostructured aluminum films

We report on a straightforward preparation method to obtain a dense layer of quasi-spherical aluminum nanoparticles over a large area. The method is based on rapid thermal annealing of a thin aluminum film deposited on a super-repellent substrate. Diameters ranging from 2 to 15 nm are obtained by varying the film thickness. Aluminum nanoparticles exhibit well-defined localized surface plasmon resonances in the ultraviolet range as revealed by extinction measurements and confirmed by Mie theory.