Mechanical-optical-electro modulation by stretching a polymer-metal nanocomposite

We report the simultaneous investigation of both the plasmonic resonance and electrical conductance evolution in stretchable metal-polymer nanocomposite films. The films are produced by the implantation of neutral gold nanoparticles in a polydimethylsiloxane substrate by aerodynamic acceleration in a supersonic expansion. A redshift of the gold nanoparticle plasmon peak is found upon stretching as well as a strong correlation between the plasmonic peak wavelength and the nanocomposite electrical resistance. Optical simulations attribute the optical response to the compression of the polymer perpendicular to the stretching direction, which brings the gold particles closer to each other, increasing the plasmonic coupling. Mechanical stretching can induce a simultaneous modulation of the optical and electrical properties of the nanocomposite.