The nanoshell architectures demonstrate the unique characteristics for the promising optical gain medium and lasing applications; this is investigated here using the atomistic tight-binding model. The electronic and optical characteristics of CdSbulk/CdSe nanoshells and CdSbulk/CdSe/CdS quantum-well nanoshells with experimentally synthesized structures are determined. The atomistic signatures are sensitive with nanoshell architectures and thickness of CdSe layer. The optical band gaps become narrow with the increasing CdSe layer thicknesses due to the large quantum-confinement volume. The optical band gaps of the tight-binding theory are in the excellent consistency with the experimental observation. Encapsulating CdSe layers on CdSbulk/CdSe nanoshells mainly promote the optical properties. The electron-hole pair is comfortably generated in CdSbulk/CdSe/CdS quantum-well nanoshells with large CdSe layers. The enhancement of stokes shift and radiative lifetimes is informed with the increasing CdSe layer thicknesses. The stokes shift and radiative lifetimes of CdSbulk/CdSe/CdS quantum-well nanoshells are greater than those of CdSbulk/CdSe nanoshells.

The thermally triggered semiconductor-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a frequent subject in the study of nanostructure responses due to the high speed of the transition. Here we report on the molecular energy transfer near a hybrid VO2@Au nanoshell during the VO2 phase transition when induced by a continuous-wave (CW) laser. The presence of VO2 causes a bistable and reversible change in the optical response of the nanoshell through the thermo-optical process at the resonance wavelength of the VO2@ Au nanoshell. This behavior is achieved by controlling the laser intensity during the heating and cooling processes. In this paper we couple the thermodynamics with the Forster-Dexter theory of energy transfer between molecules which is generalized to use a nearby VO2@Au nanoshell. The bistable and reversible change in the response of the nanoshell causes the molecular energy transfer in the same manner over an intensity range of 1.52 (GW/m2) <I< 4.39 (GW/m2). This work also provides general guidelines for designing switchable surface plasmon based biosensors, switchable molecular junction devices and switching the energy exchange between proteins.

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Journal of Nano Research & Applications