Size-Dependent Plasmonic Performance of Unconventional Transition Metal Nanoparticles as Alternatives to Noble Metals

This study reports the optical and plasmonic properties of unconventional transition metal nanoparticles (UTM-NPs), which include Ti, Mo, Rh, Zn, Ta, Sc, Au, Ag and Re by analyzing their quality factor (Q-factor), dielectric constants and plasma frequency across a nanoparticle size range of 10 nm to 400 nm. Theoretical modeling and numerical simulation of secondary data using the Drude model and Mie theory were used to determine the quality factor, plasma frequency and dielectric constants of the UTM-NPs. These methods enabled systematic characterization and comparative study of their plasmonic properties with those of conventional noble metals Au, Ag & Cu.