Tunable Work Functions in Plasmonic Metals

TL;DR

This paper shows that BITh molecules and light can tune the work functions of silver and gold, opening new possibilities for light-matter interaction studies and applications.

Contribution

The novel contribution is demonstrating tunable work functions in plasmonic metals using BITh molecules and light, with distinct dynamics compared to photopolymerization.

Findings

BITh-coated Ag and Au films show reduced work functions.

Quartz lamp illumination further reduces work functions by tens of meV.

The work function recovery occurs within ~15 minutes after light is turned off.

Abstract

We have studied the effect of BITh molecules on the work functions of Ag and Au, with and without quartz lamp illumination. Silver and gold films coated with BITh molecules were fabricated and studied in reflection and Kelvin Probe experiments. The deposition of BITh films on Ag and Au reduced their work functions (in agreement with our recent study, wherein a similar reduction was caused by the deposition of a PMMA polymer). Illumination of the BITh-coated samples with a quartz lamp caused reductions in work functions by several tens of meV, which (almost) returned to their original values when the light was turned off. The characteristic time of this process (~15 min) was much shorter than that of photopolymerization (~180 min), suggesting that these two phenomena are nearly independent of each other. The effects of the Au substrates were qualitatively similar to those of the Ag substrates. Our findings pave the way to fundamental studies and applications of light–matter interactions.

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