Recent Progress in Plasmonic Nanomaterials and Their Physicochemical Applications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/cajmns.v7i3.3272Keywords:
Plasmonic Nanomaterials, Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance, Photothermal Therapy, Photocatalysis, NanobiosensorsAbstract
Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is a phenomenon that is unique to plasmonic nanomaterials and has been the subject of considerable scientific interest due to the material's optical, electronic, thermal and physicochemical properties. In particular these nanostructures are characterized by exciting interactions with electromagnetic radiation, which allows for a wide range of applications in the field of sensing, catalysis, biomedicine, environmental treatment, and solar energy conversion. The synthesis techniques have advanced significantly in recent years which has resulted in better control over the size, morphology, composition, and surface functionalization of the nanoparticles, and in more stable and tunable plasmonic properties. Moreover, application of plasmonic nanomaterials with semiconductors, polymers, and hybrid nanostructures have provided the enhanced photocatalytic activity, photothermal conversion, and biosensing sensitivity. In the biomedical field, plasmonic nanoparticles have proven to play a promising role in targeted drug delivery, cancer photothermal therapy, molecular imaging and diagnostic biosensors. Moreover, their physicochemical properties are helpful for the charge transfer process, hot electron generation and better catalytic reaction process in environmental and energy-related technologies. Nevertheless, issues concerning toxicity, large-scale fabrication, reproducibility, and long term stability are still major concerns to address for practical and clinical implementation. The present review emphasizes the recent advances on plasmonic nanomaterials with respect to their physicochemical properties, synthesis methods and novel multifunctional applications in diverse fields of science and technology.
References
Lu R, Ni J, Yin S, Ji Y. “Responsive Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Advanced Cancer Diagnostics.” Nanomaterials. 2021;11(8):2011.
Li Y, Liao Q, Hou W, Qin L. “Silver-Based Surface Plasmon Sensors: Fabrication and Applications.” Biosensors. 2023;13(4):455.
Wang M, Ye M, Iocozzia J, Lin C, Lin Z. “Plasmon-Mediated Solar Energy Conversion via Photocatalysis in Noble Metal/Semiconductor Composites.” Advanced Science. 2016;3(8):1600024.
Lebedev VS, Kondorskiy AD. “Optics of Plasmon-Exciton Nanostructures: Theoretical Models and Physical Phenomena in Metal/J-Aggregate Systems.” Physics-Uspekhi. 2025;68(2):115-138.
Babicheva VE. “Optical Processes Behind Plasmonic Applications.” Nanomaterials. 2023;13(5):892.
Gogoi P, Roy P, Vasudeva N, Jayasinghe A. “Excitons and Plasmons at the Nanoscale: From Fundamental Physics to Functional Nanophotonics.” ACS Applied Optical Materials. 2026;4(1):55-74.
Akbari-Moghanjoughi M. “A Collective Quantum Theory of Surface Plasmon Resonance Effect.” Physics of Plasmas. 2025;32(1):012101.
Sarkar A, Koble MKM. “Plasmon-Driven Chemistry.” Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. 2025;76:201-228.
Wang H, Wang T, Yuan X, Wang Y, et al. “Plasmonic Nanostructure Biosensors: A Review.” Biosensors. 2023;13(7):690.
Bousiakou LG, Gebavi H, Mikac L, Karapetis S, et al. “Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Molecular Identification: A Review on Surface Plasmon Resonance and Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in Optical Nanobiosensing.” Sensors. 2019;19(18):3980.
Habibi Masheli M, Eyvazi S, Aghdaee MR. “LSPR of Nanoparticles Inside Strong Absorbent Medium.” Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. 2023;301:108512.
Lv S, Du Y, Wu F, Cai Y, et al. “Review on LSPR Assisted Photocatalysis: Effects of Physical Fields and Opportunities in Multifield Decoupling.” Nanoscale Advances. 2022;4(10):2318-2337.
Sovizi M, Aliannezhadi M. “Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Coupled Metal Nanospheres in Longitudinal, Transverse and Three-Dimensional Coupling Configurations.” Optik. 2022;258:168823.
He W, Huang X, Ma X, Zhang J. “Significant Temperature Effect on the LSPR Properties of Noble Metal Nanoparticles.” Journal of Optics. 2022;24(7):075002.
Abbasi MZ, Rehman AU, Sheraz M, Tareen WUK. “Enhancing the Performance of Lead-Free CsInCl3 Perovskite Solar Cells with Ag and Au Plasmonic Nanoparticles: A DFT and SCAPS-1D Analysis.” Results in Physics. 2025;62:107890.
Cao J, Balachandran R, Keswani M, Muralidharan K, et al. “New Plasmonic Materials in Visible Spectrum Through Electrical Charging.” Applied Physics Letters. 2013;103(8):081903.
Comin A, Manna L. “New Materials for Tunable Plasmonic Colloidal Nanocrystals.” Chemical Society Reviews. 2014;43(11):3957-3975.
Mcoyi MP, Mpofu KT, Sekhwama M, Mthunzi-Kufa P. “Developments in Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance.” Plasmonics. 2025;20(1):45-67.
Farooq S, Zezell DM. “Advances in Metallic-Based Localized Surface Plasmon Sensors for Enhanced Tropical Disease Detection: A Comprehensive Review.” Plasmonics. 2024;19(3):1159-1184.
Pang C, Li R, Wang X, Kong W, et al. “Engineering Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Nanoparticles in Transparent Materials for Advanced Optical Applications.” Laser & Photonics Reviews. 2026;20(2):2500184.
Zhang P, Hou H, Xu S, Wen Y, et al. “Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensing Based on Monometallic Gold Nanoparticles: From Material Preparation to Detection of Bioanalytes.” Analytical Methods. 2025;17(4):522-539.
Vinnacombe-Willson G, Conti Y, Stefancu A, Weiss PS, et al. “Direct Bottom-Up In Situ Growth: A Paradigm Shift for Studies in Wet-Chemical Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles.” Chemical Reviews. 2023;123(14):8910-8952.
Thi Tu Nguyen O, Ha Le C, Duy Pham L, Sy Nguyen H, et al. “Synthesis and Optical Characterization of Building-Block Plasmonic Gold Nanostructures.” Journal of Nanomaterials. 2017;2017:1-10.
Yu T, He W, Zhang Q, Ma D. “Advanced Nanomaterials and Characterization Techniques for Photovoltaic and Photocatalysis Applications.” Accounts of Materials Research. 2023;4(8):615-628.
Takekuma H, Sato R, Iida K, Kawawaki T, et al. “Intrinsic Visible Plasmonic Properties of Colloidal PtIn2 Intermetallic Nanoparticles.” Advanced Functional Materials. 2024;34(15):2312014.
Baffou G, Bordacchini I, Baldi A, Quidant R. “Simple Experimental Procedures to Distinguish Photothermal from Hot-Carrier Processes in Plasmonics.” Light: Science & Applications. 2020;9(1):108.
Cortés E, Grzeschik R, Maier SA, et al. “Experimental Characterization Techniques for Plasmon-Assisted Chemistry.” Nature Reviews Methods Primers. 2022;2:52.
Munaweera I, Madhusha MLC. “Characterization Techniques for Nanomaterials.” Materials Today: Proceedings. 2023;80:2480-2487.
Prasad RD, Prasad RS, Prasad RB, et al. “A Review on Modern Characterization Techniques for Analysis of Nanomaterials and Biomaterials.” ES Energy & Environment. 2024;23:45-68.
Khan MM. “Introduction to Characterization Methods.” In: Synthesis and Characterization Methods of Nanomaterials. Singapore: Springer; 2025. p. 1-32.
Alekseeva S, Nedrygailov I, Langhammer C. “Single Particle Plasmonics for Materials Science and Single Particle Catalysis.” Materials Today Advances. 2019;1:100002.
Amirjani A, Amlashi NB, et al. “Plasmon-Enhanced Photocatalysis Based on Plasmonic Nanoparticles for Energy and Environmental Solutions: A Review.” ACS Applied Nano Materials. 2023;6(5):4020-4052.
Duan H, Wang T, Su Z, Pang H, et al. “Recent Progress and Challenges in Plasmonic Nanomaterials.” Nanotechnology Reviews. 2022;11(1):1120-1145.
Cai M, Li C, An X, Zhong B, et al. “Supra-Photothermal CO2 Methanation over Greenhouse-Like Plasmonic Superstructures of Ultrasmall Cobalt Nanoparticles.” Advanced Functional Materials. 2024;34(9):2308471.
Hamza ME, Othman MA, Swillam MA. “Plasmonic Biosensors.” Biology. 2022;11(4):621.
Koen KA. “Sub-Diffraction Limited Morphology Characterization in Single Noble Metal Nanoparticles and Single Conjugated Polymer Chains Using Optical Microscopy Techniques.” PhD diss. University of Groningen, 2017.
Sedoglavich N. Development and Characterisation of Plasmonic Devices for Sensing Applications. PhD diss. University of Canterbury, 2009.
Maccaferri N. Time-Resolved Investigations and Biotechnological Applications of Plasmonic Nanostructures. PhD diss. University of Padua, 2019.
Kant K, Beeram R, Cao Y, Dos Santos PSS, et al. “Plasmonic Nanoparticle Sensors: Current Progress, Challenges, and Future Prospects.” Nanoscale Advances. 2024;6(2):550-589.
Minopoli A, Acunzo A, Della Ventura B, et al. “Nanostructured Surfaces as Plasmonic Biosensors: A Review.” Advanced Materials Interfaces. 2022;9(15):2102172.
Taheri-Ledari R, Ganjali F, Zarei-Shokat S, et al. “Plasmonic Porous Micro- and Nano-Materials Based on Au/Ag Nanostructures Developed for Photothermal Cancer Therapy: Challenges in Clinicalization.” Nanoscale. 2023;15(12):5211-5244.
Zhao X, Wen J, Zhu A, Cheng M, et al. “Manipulation and Applications of Hotspots in Nanostructured Surfaces and Thin Films.” Nanomaterials. 2020;10(7):1316.
Neira AD, Olivier N, Nasir ME, Dickson W, et al. “Eliminating Material Constraints for Nonlinearity with Plasmonic Metamaterials.” Nature Communications. 2015;6:7757.
Khurgin JB, Sun G. “Plasmonic Enhancement of the Third Order Nonlinear Optical Phenomena: Figures of Merit.” Optics Express. 2013;21(22):27460-27480.
Li S, Yang J, Ruan X, Cui X, et al. “Plasmonic Nanomaterials in Photothermal Catalysis and Artificial Photosynthesis: Hot Electron Dynamics, Design Challenges, and Future Prospects.” Advanced Functional Materials. 2026;36(3):2508821.
Elias RC, Linic S. “Elucidating the Roles of Local and Nonlocal Rate Enhancement Mechanisms in Plasmonic Catalysis.” Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2022;144(15):6817-6828.
Verma R, Sharma G, Polshettiwar V. “The Paradox of Thermal vs. Non-Thermal Effects in Plasmonic Photocatalysis.” Nature Communications. 2024;15:1452.
Raja Mogan T, Zhang J, Ng LS, Boong SK, et al. “Harmonizing Plasmonic and Photonic Effects to Boost Photocatalytic H2 Production.” Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2024;63(18):e202401115.
Ma XC, Dai Y, Yu L, Huang BB. “Energy Transfer in Plasmonic Photocatalytic Composites.” Light: Science & Applications. 2016;5:e16017.
Ghosh U, Pal A, Pal T. “Plasmon Induced Near-Infrared Active Photocatalysts: A Review.” Advanced Materials Interfaces. 2022;9(10):2101780.
Jiang L, Zhou S, Yang J, Wang H, et al. “Near-Infrared Light Responsive TiO2 for Efficient Solar Energy Utilization.” Advanced Functional Materials. 2022;32(14):2110928.
Ezendam S, Herran M, Nan L, Gruber C, et al. “Hybrid Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Hydrogen Generation and Carbon Dioxide Reduction.” Nanomaterials. 2022;12(19):3381.
Subramanian P, Meziane D, Wojcieszak R, Dumeignil F, et al. “Plasmon-Induced Electrocatalysis with Multi-Component Nanostructures.” Catalysts. 2018;8(11):517.
da Silva AGM, Rodrigues TS, Wang J, et al. “Plasmonic Catalysis with Designer Nanoparticles.” Chemical Society Reviews. 2022;51(17):7094-7148.
Tong F, Liang X, Bao X, Zheng Z. “Photocatalysis on Hybrid Plasmonic Nanomaterials: From Catalytic Mechanism Study at Single-Particle Level to Materials Design.” ACS Catalysis. 2024;14(5):3120-3154.
Zhan C, Yi J, Hu S, Zhang XG, et al. “Plasmon-Mediated Chemical Reactions.” Nature Reviews Methods Primers. 2023;3:66.
Zhang W, Zi X, Bi J, Liu G, et al. “Plasmonic Nanomaterials in Dark Field Sensing Systems.” Biosensors. 2023;13(9):844.
Zhang Z, Yang S, Su H, Qian K. “Porous Noble Metal-Based Nanomaterials in Biomedical Applications.” Advanced NanoBiomed Research. 2024;4(2):2300117.
Dement'eva OV, Kartseva ME. “Noble Metal Nanoparticles in Biomedical Thermoplasmonics.” Colloid Journal. 2023;85(5):531-547.
Simone G. “Trends of Biosensing: Plasmonics Through Miniaturization and Quantum Sensing.” Biosensors. 2023;13(10):910.
Miranda B, Rea I, Dardano P, De Stefano L, et al. “Recent Advances in the Fabrication and Functionalization of Flexible Optical Biosensors: Toward Smart Life-Sciences Applications.” Biosensors. 2021;11(6):203.
Mohan Ganesh K, Bhaskar S, Sai Krishna Cheerala V, Battampara P, et al. “Review of Gold Nanoparticles in Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission Technology: Effect of Shape, Hollow Nanostructures, Nano-Assembly, Metal–Dielectric and Heterometallic Nanohybrids.” Nanomaterials. 2024;14(3):412.
Debnath M, Kumar Debnath S, Vishnu Talpade M, Bhatt S, et al. “Surface Engineered Nanohybrids in Plasmonic Photothermal Therapy for Cancer: Regulatory and Translational Challenges.” Pharmaceutics. 2024;16(2):245.
Tranekjær Jørgensen J, Norregaard K, Tian P, Martin Bendix P, et al. “Single Particle and PET-Based Platform for Identifying Optimal Plasmonic Nano-Heaters for Photothermal Cancer Therapy.” Scientific Reports. 2016;6:30076.
Biswas A, Lemcoff N, Weizmann Y. “Let There Be Heat: Silica-Coated Gold Nanoparticles as Photothermal Reactors for Chemical Synthesis.” Accounts of Chemical Research. 2025;58(4):756-768.
Kim J, Park C, Kim Y. “Hollow Au Nanoparticles-Decorated Silica as Near Infrared-Activated Heat Generating Nano Pigment.” Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 2022;108:210-219.
El Hajj J, Ledoux G, Merabia S. “Thermoplasmonics of Gold-Core Silica-Shell Colloidal Nanoparticles under Pulse Illumination.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2025;129(6):3321-3332.
Boriskina SV, Ghasemi H, Chen G. “Plasmonic Materials for Energy: From Physics to Applications.” Materials Today. 2013;16(10):375-386.
Fan W, Leung MKH. “Recent Development of Plasmonic Resonance-Based Photocatalysis and Photovoltaics for Solar Utilization.” Molecules. 2016;21(2):180.
Wang Z, Cao D, Wen L, Xu R, et al. “Manipulation of Charge Transfer and Transport in Plasmonic-Ferroelectric Hybrids for Photoelectrochemical Applications.” Advanced Materials. 2016;28(34):7440-7445.
Jia H, Tsoi CC, Abed AE, Yu W, et al. “Metallic Plasmonic Nanostructure Arrays for Enhanced Solar Photocatalysis.” Laser & Photonics Reviews. 2023;17(7):2200972.
Wang J, Zhou L, Xia S, Luo Z, et al. “One-Step Electrochemical Fabrication of 3D Gold Nanotrees with Enhanced Broadband Plasmonic Excited Carriers for Photoelectrochemical Reactions.” Advanced Functional Materials. 2024;34(8):2310257.
Jia H, Li Z, Wang B, Xing G, et al. “Plasmonic Nanohole Arrays with Enhanced Visible Light Photoelectrocatalytic Activity.” ACS Applied Nano Materials. 2022;5(11):16142-16151.
Liu C, Geng L, Xiao T, Liu Q, et al. “Recent Advances of Plasmonic Nanofluids in Solar Harvesting and Energy Storage.” Journal of Energy Storage. 2023;72:108379.
Huan X, Wang W, Wang C, Tian Z, et al. “Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Versatile Solar Energy Conversion Applications.” ACS Omega. 2025;10(3):2854-2875.
Shin SW, Song IH, Um SH. “Role of Physicochemical Properties in Nanoparticle Toxicity.” Nanomaterials. 2015;5(3):1351-1365.
Ahmad Gatoo M, Naseem S, Yasir Arfat M, Mahmood Dar A, et al. “Physicochemical Properties of Nanomaterials: Implication in Associated Toxic Manifestations.” BioMed Research International. 2014;2014:498420.
Varas A. Modeling Linear and Non-Linear Light-Matter Interactions: From Classical to Atomistic Nanoplasmonics. PhD diss. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2017.
Das CM, Yang F, Yang Z, Liu X, et al. “Computational Modeling for Intelligent Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Design and Experimental Schemes for Real-Time Plasmonic Biosensing: A Review.” Advanced Theory and Simulations. 2023;6(9):2300194.
Chaparro D, Goudeli E. “Design of Engineered Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications by Computational Modeling.” Nanoscale. 2025;17(5):2101-2127.
Xu X, Aggarwal D, Shankar K. “Instantaneous Property Prediction and Inverse Design of Plasmonic Nanostructures Using Machine Learning: Current Applications and Future Directions.” Nanomaterials. 2022;12(21):3834.
Furube A, Hashimoto S. “Plasmonic Hot-Electron Transfer and Nanofabrication.” Nanoscale. 2021;13(1):52-68.
Sajna MS, Vimal G, Sadasivuni KK. “Plasmonic Catalysis for Energy Conversion—An Overview and Recent Trends.” Topics in Catalysis. 2025;68(2):145-169.
Hang Y, Wang A, Wu N. “Plasmonic Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: Shape- and Structure-Modulated Plasmonic Functionality for Point-of-Care Sensing, Bio-Imaging and Medical Therapy.” Chemical Society Reviews. 2024;53(5):2140-2188.
Wu JZ, Ali Ghopry S, Liu B, Shultz A. “Metallic and Non-Metallic Plasmonic Nanostructures for LSPR Sensors.” Sensors. 2023;23(11):5090.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Amal Saheb Mahdi, Shireen Abdulmohsin Azeez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
