Near-Infrared II Thermoplasmonics of Cuprous Selenide Multilayer Nanoshells: The Role of the Plasmonic Core

We present a numerical investigation of the plasmonic and photothermal properties of two different types of cuprous selenide (Cu2–xSe) concentric multilayer nanoshells (CMNSs), heteroCMNSs and homoCMNSs, comprising an outer Cu2–xSe nanoshell and an intermediate silica layer but with a different nanoparticle core of either Au or Cu2–xSe. Numerical calculations of optical absorption, near-field enhancement, and local temperature increase are performed with varied dimensions. The plasmon modes from both types of CMNSs are interpreted by combining the plasmon hybridization theory with the surface charge distribution. The two CMNSs exhibit remarkable near-infrared II (NIR-II) plasmonic properties tunable by controlling the interaction between the inner core and the Cu2–xSe nanoshell. The distinct temperature increase distributions between the two CMNSs are identified at their NIR-II resonance wavelengths. The correlation between the partial absorption and the temperature increase of the inner core and Cu2–xSe nanoshell suggests the thermal interplay between the components.