Overview of Synthetic Methods to Prepare Plasmonic Transition Metal Nitride Nanoparticles.

The search for new plasmonic materials that are low-cost, chemically and thermally stable, and exhibit low optical losses has garnered significant attention among researchers. Recently, metal nitrides have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional, noble metal based plasmonic materials such as Ag and Au. Many of the initial studies on metal nitrides have focused on computational prediction of the material plasmonic properties. In recent years, several synthetic methods have been developed, enabling empirical analysis. This review highlights synthetic techniques for the preparation of plasmonic metal nitride nanoparticles which are predominantly free-standing using solid-state and solid-gas phase reactions, non-thermal and arc plasma methods, and laser ablation . The physical properties of the nanoparticles such as shape, size, crystallinity, and optical response obtained with such synthetic methods are also summarized.