Characterizing localized surface plasmons using electron energy-loss spectroscopy

TL;DR

This paper reviews how electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in electron microscopes can analyze nanoscale plasmonic properties of metal nanoparticles with high spatial and spectral resolution, advancing understanding in nanoplasmonics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of EELS theory and recent experimental applications in characterizing localized surface plasmons at the nanoscale.

Findings

EELS enables high-resolution imaging of plasmonic nanoparticles.

Recent experiments demonstrate EELS's capability to probe optical properties at the nanoscale.

EELS advances understanding of plasmonic phenomena in nanostructures.

Abstract

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) offers a window to view nanoscale properties and processes. When performed in a scanning transmission electron microscope, EELS can simultaneously render images of nanoscale objects with sub-nanometer spatial resolution and correlate them with spectroscopic information of $\sim10 - 100$ meV spectral resolution. Consequently, EELS is a near-perfect tool for understanding the optical and electronic properties of individual and few-particle plasmonic metal nanoparticles assemblies, which are significant in a wide range of fields. This review presents an overview of basic plasmonics and EELS theory and highlights several recent noteworthy experiments involving the electron-beam interrogation of plasmonic metal nanoparticle systems.