Diameter-and length-dependent volume plasmon excitation of bismuth nanorods investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy

From the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) study of plasmon excitation of Bi nanorods, we find that as the diameter and length of Bi nanorods decrease below ∼10 and ∼35 nm, respectively, the quantum confinement effect drastically increases. Thus, such Bi nanorods would be extremely useful for thermoelectric devices and applications.