Effect of thiophenol adsorption on the optical properties of Ag nanoparticles supported on graphene/Rh(111)

Single-layer graphene on a transition metal surface forms a moiré structure that has been used as a template to fabricate metal nanoparticle assemblies. Ag nanoparticles were grown on graphene/Rh(111), and their optical absorption due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was observed by optical reflectance spectroscopy. In addition, incoherent electron-hole pair excitation in the nanoparticles was observed using electron energy loss spectroscopy. Using these spectroscopies, the effect of thiophenol (C6H5SH) adsorption on the LSPR characteristics of the Ag nanoparticles was investigated.