Tip-enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL) experiments have recently reached the ability to investigate single molecules exploiting resolution at the submolecular level. Localized surface plasmon resonances of metallic nanostructures have the capability of enhancing an impinging electromagnetic radiation in the proximity of their surface, with evident consequences both on absorption and emission of molecules placed in the same region. We propose a theoretical analysis of these phenomena in order to interpret TEPL experiments on single molecules, including a quantum mechanical description of the target molecule equilibrated with the presence of two nanostructures representative of the nanocavity usually employed in STMs. The approach has been applied to the zinc phthalocyanine molecule, previously considered in recent TEPL experiments [Yang et al., Nat. Photonics 14, 693–699 (2020)]. This work has the aim of providing a comprehensive theoretical understanding of the experimental results, particularly focusing on the investigation of the tip features that majorly influence the excitation and fluorescence processes of the molecule, such as the geometry, the dielectric function, and the tip–molecule distance.
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7 December 2021
Research Article|
December 03 2021
Role of metal-nanostructure features on tip-enhanced photoluminescence of single molecules
Special Collection:
Chemical Imaging
Marco Romanelli
;
Marco Romanelli
1
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova
, via Marzolo 1, Padova, Italy
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Giulia Dall’Osto
;
Giulia Dall’Osto
1
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova
, via Marzolo 1, Padova, Italy
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Stefano Corni
Stefano Corni
a)
1
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova
, via Marzolo 1, Padova, Italy
2
CNR Institute of Nanoscience
, via Campi 213/A, Modena, Italy
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: stefano.corni@unipd.it
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: stefano.corni@unipd.it
Note: This paper is part of the JCP Special Topic on Chemical Imaging.
J. Chem. Phys. 155, 214304 (2021)
Article history
Received:
August 12 2021
Accepted:
November 05 2021
Citation
Marco Romanelli, Giulia Dall’Osto, Stefano Corni; Role of metal-nanostructure features on tip-enhanced photoluminescence of single molecules. J. Chem. Phys. 7 December 2021; 155 (21): 214304. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0066758
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