Effect of the concentration of organic dyes on their surface plasmon enhanced two-photon absorption cross section using activated Au nanoparticles

Abstract

In this article we present the study of the surface plasmon enhanced two-photon absorption of a hydrophilic stilbene derivative (trans-4,4'- diaminostilbene) in aqueous solution at different concentrations. The observed exponential growth of the effective two-photon absorption cross section [σ2′ (Au)] is attributed to the electric-field augmentation via surface plasmon resonance between nanoparticles, i.e., hot spots, and the molecular density on Au nanospheres. An unprecedented σ2′ (Au) =550 000 GM has been measured. This result opens a new universe of applications in multiphoton imaging, photodynamic therapy, telecommunications, optical limiting, and multidimensional data storage using hybrid systems. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.