Optical properties of silver nanoprisms and their influences on fluorescence of europium complex

The optical properties of truncated triangular silver nanoprisms and their influences on the fluorescence of europium complex Eu(TTFA)3 were investigated in theory and experiment separately. In theory, we found that the fluorescence of Eu ions would be greatly enhanced by these nanoprisms, the enhancement factor of the fluorescence depended on the concentrations of nanoprisms. They were verified in the experiment. The influence of silver nanoprisms on the radiative and nonradiative decay rates of Eu ions were also deduced, and found that the silver nanoprisms greatly reduced the energy loss caused by the nonradiative decay. © 2011 Optical Society of America.