Robust Hybrid Plasmon–Photon Modes in Colloidal Metasurfaces Probed by Angle-Resolved SERS

Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

  • Sezer Seçkin - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Swagato Sarkar - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Author)
  • Felix Schneider - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Gyusang Yi - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Kartik Gaur - , Technical University of Berlin (Author)
  • Alfred J. Meixner - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Stephan Reitzenstein - , Technical University of Berlin (Author)
  • Dai Zhang - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Tobias A.F. König - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)

Abstract

Plasmonic–photonic metasurfaces enable large-area, spectrally selective field enhancement for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, identifying low-loss hybrid plasmon-photon modes under confocal, near-normal excitation remains elusive. Angle-resolved SERS provides direct access to their dispersion and degeneracies under stationary, ultrahigh numerical aperture excitation (NA ≈ 1.0 in air) by independently scanning polar and azimuthal incidence angles. SERS additionally demands modes that tolerate defects and periodicity fluctuations. We therefore fabricate colloidal metasurfaces across particle concentrations and lattice periods to quantify robustness. Using template-assisted self-assembly, we reveal a direct correlation between nanoparticle concentration, structural order, and the emergence of hybrid modes. At the optimized periodicity, SERS is maximized (up to 2.32× higher SERS intensity), which we can modulate through resonance detuning. Angle-resolved SERS at 633 and 785 nm under oblique incidence shows maximal enhancement when the hybrid guided-mode resonance is tuned to the laser line, yielding up to 36× higher intensity than off-resonant conditions for the same sample. An analytical model attributes these modes to phase-coupled waveguide coupling and collective plasmonic chain resonances. Thus, we yield practical design rules for robust, tunable colloidal plasmonic–photonic SERS metasurfaces via hybrid-mode dispersion engineering.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)39210-39227
Number of pages18
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume18
Issue number28
Publication statusPublished - 22 Jul 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 42413040

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • angle-resolved SERS, colloidal metasurfaces, dispersion engineering, hybrid plasmon–photon modes, template-assisted self-assembly