First principles calculations of the optical and plasmonic response of Au alloys and intermetallic compounds

Pure Au is widely used in plasmonic applications even though its use is compromised by significant losses due to damping. There are some elements that are less lossy than Au (e.g. Ag or Al) but they will normally oxidize or corrode under ambient conditions. Here we examine whether alloying Au with a second element would be beneficial for plasmonic applications. In order to evaluate potential alternatives to pure Au, the density of states (DOS), dielectric function and plasmon quality factor have been calculated for alloys and compounds of Au with Al, Cd, Mg, Pd, Pt, Sn, Ti, Zn and Zr. Substitutional alloying of Au with Al, Cd, Mg and Zn was found to slightly improve the plasmonic response. Of the large number of intermetallic compounds studied, only AuAl₂, Au₃Cd, AuMg, AuCd and AuZn were found to be suitable for plasmonic applications.