Understanding the time-dependent states of plasmonic metasurfaces under intense laser irradiation is crucial to optimize the laser processing parameters and reach specific optical properties. In this work, the physico-chemical mechanisms of laser-induced shape transformation of Ag nanoparticle ensemble embedded in thin TiO2 layers is investigated in details. The combination of high-repetition-rate pump-probe microscopy in transmission configuration with ex situ scanning electron microscopy reveals the variety of mechanisms that contribute to the reshaping of near-coalescence Ag nanoparticles with broad size and complex shape distributions into an ensemble of spherical particles. The description of the mechanisms on multiple time scales from the ultrafast electron dynamics to the much slower thermal processes triggered by the accumulation of 800 pulses at high repetition rate reveals different pulse number regimes. Owing to the high-repetition-rate data acquisition, the effect of the heat accumulation on the nanoparticle reshaping kinetics is demonstrated. The observed structural changes are discussed in the scope of the in situ transmission spectra. The presented results are intended to help improving applications of such laser-processed plasmonic metasurfaces in security printing, data storage and digital fabrication of nanoscale electronics.
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