Plasmon-Mediated Embedding of Nanoparticles in a Polymer Matrix: Nanocomposites Patterning, Writing, and Defect Healing

Plasmonics, as an emerging field, aims to exploit the unique optical properties of metallic nanostructures to enable routing and active manipulation of light on the nanoscale. Plasmonic heating is a phenomenon, which is recently recognized for its potential in photothermal therapy. Here we show the first proof-of-concept experiment based on plasmonic heating for selective and precise embedding of nanoparticles in a polymeric matrix. We demonstrate a unique way for in situ fabrication of nanocomposites in different forms including patterning, writing, and defect healing in a controlled manner along with crystallinity control through light irradiation.