A command layer for anisotropic plasmonic photo-thermal effects in liquid crystal
Photo-anisotropic properties of a particular command layer for Liquid Crystals (LCs), based on azo-benzene material, are exploited to control the photo-thermal response of a single layer of homogeneously and uniformly distributed Au nanoparticles, immobilised on a glass substrate. Experiments demonstrate that the intrinsic anisotropy of materials can influence the photo-thermal response of plasmonic systems. Indeed, the resonant absorption of radiation by plasmonic subunits is followed by a noticeable increase of their temperature.