enhancing non-linear response of fullerene via incorporation of gold nanoparticles

Bi-functional nanocomposite thin films of fullerene c60 and c70 containing au nps were synthesized using thermal co-evaporation method. different atomic concentrations of au metal varying from 5 to 35 at.% was chosen to get the au nps with different sizes in fullerene matrix. the thickness of films and metal concentration is confirmed by rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (rbs). uv-visible spectrum shows the excitation of spr band in all samples except for the lowest metal concentration which is ~ 5 at.% and spr is red shifted with increasing concentration of au. the shift in spr position with increasing metal concentration for both au-c60 and au-c70 is nearly linear. x-ray diffraction spectroscopy indicates the formation of bigger size particles with increasing metal concentration in both the cases of au-c60 and au-c70, which is further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy results. au-c60 and au-c70 (could) be interesting nanocomposites for surface-enhanced raman scattering studies.