Enhanced Near-Field Imaging Contrasts of Silver Nanoparticles by Localized Surface Plasmon

Near-field images of Ag nanoparticles are studied using a near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) operating at illumination mode with blue, green, and red probing lights. The obtained far-field intensity contrast between the nanoparticle and background strongly depends on the sizes of nanoparticles and the wavelength of probing light. Experimental NSOM images supported by theoretical 3-D finite-difference time-domain simulation demonstrate that the intensity contrast is enhanced at wavelength close to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of the nanoparticle. The abilities to distinguish nanoparticles with different LSPR properties on the same substrate can lead to a material-specific NSOM imaging technique.