Enhancement of Thermoplasmonic Characteristics in Hg-Au/Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Abstract:

The present research explores the tunable thermoplasmonic response of spherical core-shell nanostructures through theoretical analysis based on the Mie theory. The study examines the effects of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) shell thickness on mercury (Hg) nanoparticles in a water media (n = 1.33), with systematically varying core sizes between the range 5 nm to 20 nm and shell thicknesses 2 nm to 20 nm for sensing, photonic, and photothermal applications. The optical and thermoplasmonic characteristics are investigated for various core-shell ratio at different localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelengths, covering a spectrum from 250 nm to 850 nm. It is observed that the absorption peak spectra are found between 502 nm-537 nm and 345 nm-456 nm wavelengths with Au and Ag shell on Hg-core. Maximum values of absorption cross-section spectra is revealed at 1.80E-14 m² and 1.57E-14 m² of wavelengths 536 nm and 380 nm. Also, 𝐽₀max is calculated 22 and 31.5 for Au and Ag shell thickness of 02 nm on 20 nm Hg-core and maximum temperature rise at 5.91°C of 20 nm Au shell thickness as compared to Ag shell under 1_*10⁴ W/cm² laser irradiation. The results indicate that the temperature generated by these core-shell nanoparticles can be modulated by material’s nature, core radius, gold/silver shell thickness, and the surrounding medium. Further, the examined core-shell nanoparticles show potential as effective heat sources in various applications, including photothermal cancer therapy, cell optoporation, and sterilization and disinfection of medical equipment.

• Periodical: Nano Hybrids and Composites (Volume 50)
• Pages: 129-135
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-GHd7wi
• Online since: February 2026
• Authors: Sudesh Sharma, Pardeep Bhatia*
• Keywords: Core-Shell, Embedded Medium, Liquid-Metal, Thermoplasmonics

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