LAUSR

FeS2 nanocrystals with the diameter of more than several dozen nanometers exhibit well-defined optical extinction peaks in a near-infrared region. These peaks, which are not exhibited from bulk FeS2, have been ascribed to the localized surface plasmon resonance without solid evidence. However, this interpretation could be doubtful considering the low carrier density of semiconducting FeS2. In this study, we theoretically demonstrated that the near-infrared extinction peaks from the FeS2 nanocubes are ascribed to Mie resonances, which act as a dielectric optical nanoantenna. Also, we experimentally demonstrated that the Mie resonances of FeS2 nanocubes have a large optical absorption component. Consequently, these nanocubes caused a larger temperature increase with a higher photothermal conversion efficiency by a near-infrared laser irradiation, as compared with small FeS2 nanoclusters not exhibiting Mie resonances. Such results suggest that the optical absorption originating from the indirect interband tr...