Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ashish Prajapati, Gil Shalev
Summary: This study demonstrates the excellent broadband absorption of the solar spectrum by utilizing arrays composed of light funnel arrays integrated with top nanolenses. The integration of nanolenses helps to reduce the reflection of light funnel arrays and achieve higher optical coupling efficiency. The numerical results show that the combination of light funnel arrays and nanolenses can increase the broadband absorption by about 12% under normal illumination. The enhancement in broadband absorption under oblique illumination is also confirmed. Photovoltaic cells based on this structure demonstrate an increase of approximately 10% in short-circuit current. The findings of this study are of great importance for improving the efficiency of solar energy harvesting.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zuoxu Wu, Wenhua Xue, Yijie Liu, Shuaihang Hou, Jun Mao, Yumei Wang, Xingjun Liu, Qian Zhang, Zhifeng Ren, Feng Cao
Summary: In this study, a randomly textured absorber was achieved by depositing a cermet-based quasi-optical cavity structure absorber onto a structured stainless-steel substrate. It showed omnidirectional absorption-enhanced light absorption over a wide incidence-angle range up to 75 degrees, surpassing previously reported absorbers. The absorber's superior angular absorption is attributed to multiscale scattering on its randomly textured surface and resonance absorption in its quasi-optical cavity structure.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Huiyong Li, Chen Shen, Shuai Sun, Chun Li, Hui Zhang, Zhong Zhang
Summary: Researchers have developed a needle-like array structure (NAS) by spraying and self-assembling a magnetic composite ink under an external magnetic field. The NAS exhibits extremely low hemispherical reflectance (<= 0.3%) over a wide spectral range of 300-2000 nm and stable omnidirectional absorption (incident angle insensitivity up to 70 degrees), making it one of the darkest surfaces ever reported. The NAS shows outstanding photothermal conversion, self-cleaning performance, flexibility, and thermal-aging resistance, offering a promising alternative for constructing ultrablack surfaces for practical applications.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zexi Liu, Quanzheng Deng, Lu Han, Shunai Che, Yingying Duan
Summary: Photomagnetic-chiral anisotropy (PM-ChAC-E) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering chiral anisotropy (SERS-ChAC-E) are novel enantiomeric discrimination techniques based on the chiroptical response between chiral nanostructured metal films (C) and enantiomers (E). The discrimination mechanism of chiral nanostructured Au films (CNAFs) is explained through the spin polarization coupling (SPC) between the enantiomers and CNAFs. The findings provide a possible mechanism based on spin selectivity in chiral structures and offer a universal theory for enantiomeric discrimination.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Optics
Chensheng Li, Ruhao Pan, Guangzhou Geng, Ruixuan Zheng, Changzhi Gu, Haiming Guo, Junjie Li
Summary: A GST-based metasurface with strong absorption of unpolarized light over a large angular range and ultra-broadband coverage from ultraviolet to near-infrared region is demonstrated. The high absorptivity is achieved through the combination of field localizations and intrinsic loss in the metasurface structure.
LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS
(2023)
Correction
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
ZexiW Liu, Jing Ai, Te Bai, Yuxi Fang, Kun Ding, Yingying Duan, Lu Han, Shunai Che
Summary: In this study, photomagnetic-chiral anisotropy was discovered in chiral nanostructured gold films, resulting in the creation of opposite photomagnetic fields. This effect is speculated to be caused by the directional alignment of opposite spins induced by the asymmetric spin-orbit coupling in the antipodal helical structure. This finding has significant implications for quantum technology and magnetophysics.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zijun Yong, Shu Gong, Anthony S. R. Chesman, Qianqian Shi, Lim Wei Yap, Yvonne Hora, Runfang Fu, Fenge Lin, Wenlong Cheng
Summary: Researchers have developed flexible artificial leaves that can perform model chemical reactions under omnidirectional light illumination and low light intensity conditions. The leaves consist of elastomer-bonded, CdS-coated, enokitake-like gold nanowire arrays, which offer high surface area and efficient light absorption. This photocatalytic system mimics the features of natural biosystems and shows promising potential for various applications.
Article
Optics
Xiancui Yang, Furong Shui, Yanli Yu, Zao Yi, Haiou Li, Zhimou Xu, Fabi Zhang, Jian Xiong, Xingpeng Liu, Peihua Wangyang, Tangyou Sun
Summary: This study presents an all layers patterned conical nanostructured thin-film silicon solar cell to enhance the low absorption caused by the thin absorption layers. The results demonstrate higher photocurrent density and power conversion efficiency for the structure, showcasing the potential of fully patterned nanostructures in thin-film photovoltaic devices.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhi-Gang Yu
Summary: Exciton transport plays a central role in optoelectronic and photonic devices. Tightly bound excitons in quasi-two-dimensional hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) can rapidly diffuse within 2D layers with a non-monotonic temperature dependence. Surprisingly, interlayer exciton diffusion is also effective despite the large interlayer distance.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Simona Ricci, Marco Buonomo, Stefano Casalini, Sara Bonacchi, Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti
Summary: In this study, two novel formulations of Au nanoparticle-based inks were used to manufacture nanostructured and conductive thin films via inkjet printing. These films demonstrated high electrical and optical performances, with sheet resistance of 10.8 +/- 4.1 ohm per square and significant SERS activity. The use of minimal stabilizers and sintering was achieved, highlighting the feasibility and potential of this technique.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Devarajan Alagarasan, S. Varadharajaperumal, K. Deva Arun Kumar, R. Naik, Sima Umrao, Mohd Shkir, S. AIFaify, R. Ganesan
Summary: SnS thin films were deposited on glass substrates at different temperatures using vacuum thermal evaporation, and their structural, electrical, and optical properties were studied. The films exhibited orthorhombic crystal structure, with optical properties improving with increasing substrate temperature. The optical band gap values ranged from 1.843 to 2.075 eV, and the visible photoresponsivity and specific detectivity of the films increased with higher substrate temperatures.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rudai Zhao, Lutong Guo, He Zhu, Ting Zhang, Pengwei Li, Yiqiang Zhang, Yanlin Song
Summary: This study demonstrated that the quantum-well (QW) width distribution in quasi-2D perovskite films can be controlled effectively by using hydroiodic acid (HI) as an additive. The formation of soluble iodoplumbate coordination complexes, PbI3-, from the reaction of HI with PbI2 led to a uniform distribution of colloidal particle size in the precursor solution and improved phase purity in the final film. The optimized phase purity of the high-quality quasi-2D perovskite film resulted in a balanced carrier diffusion length, improved carrier mobility, and high-performance photodetectors with a light on/off ratio of 50,000, a responsivity of 0.96 A W-1, and a detectivity of 5.7 x 10(12) Jones at 532 nm. Additionally, the device showed excellent stability with more than 80% of its initial photocurrent maintained after 720 hours of storage at 30% relative humidity.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhelu Hu, Maria Ujue Gonzalez, Zhuoying Chen, Patrick Gredin, Michel Mortier, Antonio Garcia-Martin, Lionel Aigouy
Summary: Recent studies have explored the use of up-converting fluorescent nanocrystals to improve the performance of solar cells. This work investigates the effect of nanostructuration of perovskite thin films on the optical properties of hybrid solar cells. The results show that the ideal position for the nanocrystals is between the grooves, and deeper grooves result in higher luminescence enhancement.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Miao Yan, Tianfeng Weng, Xuan Yu, Minghao Li, Qian Qiao, Yingtang Zhou, Zhenhua Li, Jun Wei, Xiaoming Yu
Summary: The study incorporated nano-structured diatomite into polymeric thin film as a light-trapping layer in a photodetector, resulting in improved performance with increased photocurrent, responsivity, detectivity, and linear dynamic range of the device under different light conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
F. Vega, J. Fernandez, S. Elgueta, Emanuele Cavaliere, Luca Gavioli, A. L. Cabrera
Summary: An interesting result on hydrogen sorption by Ag-Rh clusters, which differs from the common understanding of hydrogen absorption in bulk alloys, was reported. Nanostructured Ag-Rh films with a composition of 75% Ag-25% Rh were grown to measure hydrogen absorption. The films were exposed to H-2 gas at different partial pressures and characterized by XPS and AFM. Our observations contradicted the literature report, as no hydrogen absorption was observed in our Ag-Rh films even at high hydrogen pressure.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
David Talaga, Andrew Bremner, Thierry Buffeteau, Renaud A. L. Vallee, Sophie Lecomte, Sebastien Bonhommeau
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Remi Merindol, Nicolas Martin, Thomas Beneyton, Jean-Christophe Baret, Serge Ravaine
Summary: This study addresses the challenges of controlling the size of DNA microstructures and embedding them with fast responsiveness by combining arrested phase separation and microfluidic confinement to produce monodisperse DNA particles and implementing a light-controlled coil-globule transition of the microgel DNA network. The assembly of light-responsive microgel superstructures is demonstrated as proof-of-concept hierarchical all-DNA materials.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiahui Xu, Zhaogang Dong, Mohamed Asbahi, Yiming Wu, Hao Wang, Liangliang Liang, Ray Jia Hong Ng, Hailong Liu, Renaud A. L. Vallee, Joel K. W. Yang, Xiaogang Liu
Summary: Efficient anti-Stokes emission can be achieved within nanometric volumes for compact photonic devices through the integration of lanthanide-activated nanocrystals with gold nanotrenches. Coupling upconversion nanoparticles with subwavelength gap-plasmon modes enhances spontaneous emission rates and boosts upconversion efficiency significantly.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laurent Lermusiaux, Veronique Many, Philippe Barois, Virginie Ponsinet, Serge Ravaine, Etienne Duguet, Mona Treguer-Delapierre, Alexandre Baron
Summary: The study focuses on the design and chemical synthesis of plasmonic nanoresonators with a strong magnetic response in the visible range, demonstrating the effectiveness of a novel nanoscale structure in numerical simulations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bin Liu, Stephanie Exiga, Etienne Duguet, Serge Ravaine
Summary: This study presents a new method for fabricating silica nanoparticles with different numbers of patches, and demonstrates the formation of various structures through self-assembly.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jiahui Xu, Yue Wu, Pinzheng Zhang, Yiming Wu, Renaud A. L. Vallee, Suli Wu, Xiaogang Liu
Summary: Dielectric nanoparticles are a new class of photonic building blocks that enhance light-matter interactions within nanometric volumes, with strong electric and magnetic responses and negligible energy dissipation. Progress has been made in designing efficient dielectric nanoresonators in recent decades.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Bin Liu, Weiya Li, Etienne Duguet, Serge Ravaine
Summary: Self-assembly of nanosized building blocks is an efficient strategy for producing organized materials. In this study, the chaining of silica nanoparticles with polystyrene patches dispersed in tetrahydrofuran is investigated. The influence of patch-to-particle size ratio and the nature of the added nonsolvent are studied, showing that the chains can cyclize beyond a certain length. The addition of one-patch silica nanoparticles is also shown to control the length of the chains.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bin Liu, Serge Ravaine, Etienne Duguet
Summary: We report a solvent-induced assembly method for synthesizing one-patch silica nanoparticles. By controlling multiple stages in the synthesis process, highly pure nanoparticles with a fine control of the patch-to-particle size ratio can be obtained. Self-assembly in specific solvent conditions leads to the formation of clusters and micelle structures with different sizes. The research provides an effective method for preparing nanostructures.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sharvina Shanmugathasan, Auriane Bagur, Etienne Ducrot, Sonia Buffiere, Peter van Oostrum, Serge Ravaine, Etienne Duguet
Summary: This study reports the synthesis of spherical silica particles with two organic patches on their surface. The multi-stage synthesis process resulted in high purity products, and it was found that polyethylenimine played a significant role in the synthesis.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jiarong Cai, Wei Zhang, Liguang Xu, Changlong Hao, Wei Ma, Maozhong Sun, Xiaoling Wu, Xian Qin, Felippe Mariano Colombari, Andre Farias de Moura, Jiahui Xu, Mariana Cristina Silva, Evaldo Batista Carneiro-Neto, Weverson Rodrigues Gomes, Renaud A. L. Vallee, Ernesto Chaves Pereira, Xiaogang Liu, Chuanlai Xu, Rafal Klajn, Nicholas A. Kotov, Hua Kuang
Summary: In this study, chiral gold nanoparticles were assembled into nanoporous membranes to achieve high sensitivity to circular polarization through light-induced polarization-dependent ion accumulation. By using suitable modification, a photocurrent as high as 2.41 times higher can be obtained under right-handed circularly polarized light. This technology holds great potential for applications in chiral photonics.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rawan Khalaf, Andrea Viamonte, Etienne Ducrot, Remi Merindol, Serge Ravaine
Summary: Patchy particles have gained attention for their ability to develop directional and selective interactions and serve as building blocks for self-assembling innovative colloidal molecules and crystalline structures. A new approach using colloidal stamps has been introduced to pattern functional DNA patches on particle surfaces, enabling selective strand-displacement reactions. These produced DNA-patchy particles are ideal candidates for advanced precision and designer building blocks to self-assemble the next generation of colloidal materials.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Bin Liu, Etienne Duguet, Serge Ravaine
Summary: Particles with attractive patches were synthesized and assembled into dimers or trimers by controlling the patch-to-particle size ratio. When mixed with two-patch nanoparticles, one-patch nanoparticles acted as colloidal chain stoppers, controlling the length of the resulting chains. This strategy allows for the future fabrication of novel colloidal structures through controlled assembly of nanoparticles.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Borui Li, Jacques Lalevee, Leszek Mateusz Mazur, Katarzyna Matczyszyn, Serge Ravaine, Safi Jradi
Summary: Two-photon polymerization is an important method for additive manufacturing of 3D polymer micro and nanostructures. The development of new photoinitiators with high sensitivity and good performance is necessary to enhance the spatial resolution of writing. The copper complex photoinitiator G1 showed higher resolution and sensitivity than some commercial photoinitiators, allowing higher writing rates.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongyu Cai, Zhiwei Li, Serge Ravaine, Mingxin He, Yanlin Song, Yadong Yin, Hanbin Zheng, Jinghua Teng, Ao Zhang
Summary: Photonic crystals (PhCs) have attracted intense interests for their potential applications in optics and photonics, with self-assembled colloidal crystals (CCs) offering unprecedented opportunities. This paper reviews state-of-the-art techniques in self-assembly of colloidal particles for large-area high-quality CCs, discussing common defects encountered, mechanisms of crack/defect formation, and versatile fabrication methods for defect-free CCs. The advanced self-assembly methods developed for high-quality CCs and unique photonic structures are highlighted, along with future approaches in fabrication and real-world applications.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nabila Tanjeem, Cyril Chomette, Nicholas B. Schade, Serge Ravaine, Etienne Duguet, Mona Treguer-Delapierre, Vinothan N. Manoharan
Summary: A new approach to making plasmonic metamolecules with well-controlled resonances at optical wavelengths is described, utilizing a multi-step colloidal synthesis method to achieve nanometer-scale precision in morphology. Using single-cluster spectroscopy, it is shown that the plasmonic resonances are reproducible from cluster to cluster. By comparing the spectra to theory, the multi-step synthesis approach is demonstrated to control the distances between metallic surfaces with nanometer-scale precision.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2021)