Novel Self-Assembled Two-Dimensional Layered Oxide Structure Incorporated with Au Nanoinclusions towards Multifunctionalities*

Two-dimensional (2D) layered oxides have recently attracted wide attention owing to the strong coupling effect between charge, spin, lattice and strain, which opens up great flexibility and opportunities in structure construction as well as multifunctionality exploration. In parallel, plasmonic hybrid nanostructures exhibit combined physical properties coming from different material components and the broad range of applications in nanophotonic and electronic devices. In this work, novel self-assembled bismuth-based supercell (SC) structures incorporated with Au nanoinclusions are integrated via one-step pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Comprehensive microstructural characterization results demonstrate the highly epitaxial quality and particle-in-matrix morphology of the nanocomposite thin films. The SC oxide matrix exhibits typical anisotropic ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties while the Au nanoparticle phase results in enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the visible wavelength region. This study opens a new gate for developing novel 2D layered complex oxides incorporated with plasmonic metal or semiconductor phases showing great potential applications in multifunctional nanoelectronics devices.