Simulation of Absorption Spectra of Metal Nanoparticles Embedded in Organic Media

Metal nanoparticles, silver and gold, of different sizes and shapes are actively being researched in a variety of different fields such as solar cells. The unique plasmonic properties of these particles, especially in the visible and NIR-region ranging from 400-1200 nm, are the basis for most of these applications. The absorption spectra are calculated using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) in the wavelength region of 300 to 1200 nm. The modeled samples for calculating are planar array nanoparticles, basically two particles and more than two particles. The influences of the nanoparticle size, interparticle distance and polarization direction of excited light on the absorption spectra are investigated. Moreover, the optical absorption can be tuned by adjusting sizes and shape of nanoparticles to obtain the enhanced absorption. The influence of the surrounding medium is also presented.