LSPR effects of Au nanoparticles/ZnO nano-composite films

1In this study, the Au nanoparticle-modified ZnO composite films deposited on ITO glass were presented. First of all, ZnO nanorods film was prepared by using chemical bath deposition (CBD). Au nanoparticles solutions were prepared by a non-toxic photochemical method, which was characterized by using an UV–Visible spectrophotometer. The LSPR (Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance) effect of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) solutions shows an obvious peak of absorbance which is located at 519 nm. The AuNPs/ZnO NRs film prepared by self-assembly method was investigated by using an UV–Visible spectrophotometer. The LSPR effects of AuNPs/ZnO NRs composite film show obvious peaks of absorbance located at 371 nm and 524 nm. The results show that AuNPs/ZnO NRs composite films have demonstrated the characteristics and the effects of AuNPs and ZnO NRs. Finally, AuNPs/ZnO NRs is used to detect the refractive index of different environments. The LSPR effects show obvious peaks of absorbance accompanying with a red shift in the wavelengths, where the peaks are located at 524 nm, 534.5 nm, 535.5 nm and 539 nm respectively for the environments in air (R.I. = 1.00), water (R.I. = 1.33), ethanol (R.I. = 1.36) and methanol (R.I. = 1.44).