Stabilization of plasmon resonance in Cu2-xS semiconductor nanoparticles

Controllable copper vacancy concentrations in copper chalcogenides are essential to any application that requires constant NIR absorption behavior, including cancer phototherapy and photovoltaics. Doping levels, however, can change spontaneously and with oxygen exposure. Treatment of copper sulphide nanoparticles with tetrathiomolybdate is shown here to stabilize vacancy-induced plasmon bands.