Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sergey S. Kharintsev, Elina I. Battalova, Timur A. Mukhametzyanov, Anatoly P. Pushkarev, Ivan G. Scheblykin, Sergey V. Makarov, Eric O. Potma, Dmitry A. Fishman
Summary: Halide perovskites are important semiconducting materials with versatile applications in photovoltaics and optoelectronics, particularly due to their enhanced optical properties at crystal imperfections. This study demonstrates controlled multiphase structuring in a single perovskite crystal, using cesium lead bromine placed on a thermoplasmonic TiN/Si metasurface. This approach enables the formation of single-, double-, and triple-phase structures on demand above room temperature, leading to potential applications of dynamically controlled heterostructures with unique electronic and optical properties.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Martin Fraenzl, Santiago Muinos-Landin, Viktor Holubec, Frank Cichos
Summary: The study presents a new type of symmetric thermoplasmonic microswimmer propelled by laser-induced self-thermophoresis. The propulsion direction is externally imprinted by the heating laser position, allowing enhanced control over the particles dynamics. Experimental and simulation results have confirmed the unique motion characteristics of this microswimmer.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stefano A. Mezzasalma, Joscha Kruse, Stefan Merkens, Eneko Lopez, Andreas Seifert, Roberto Morandotti, Marek Grzelczak
Summary: This study presents a new self-oscillator model for illuminated colloidal systems. It predicts that the surface temperature of thermoplasmonic nanoparticles and the number density of their clusters jointly oscillate at frequencies ranging from infrasonic to acoustic values. Experimental results with gold nanorods strongly support the theory. These findings expand our understanding of self-oscillation phenomena and suggest the potential of colloidal systems as hosts for light-propelled machineries.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yunqing Ma, Zhenjiang Guo, Qianjin Chen, Xianren Zhang
Summary: Gas bubbles are ubiquitous in electrochemical processes, particularly in water electrolysis. A deep understanding of gas bubble behaviors at the electrode surface is highly desirable due to the development of gas-evolving electrocatalysis and energy conversion technology. By combining theoretical analysis and molecular simulations, the behaviors of a single nanobubble electrogenerated at a nanoelectrode were studied, revealing various nanobubble dynamic states based on slight changes in gas solubility or solute concentration.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Berengere Evin, Eric Leroy, Walid Baaziz, Mathieu Segard, Valerie Paul-Boncour, Sylvain Challet, Arnaud Fabre, Stephanie Thiebaut, Michel Latroche, Ovidiu Ersen
Summary: Helium-3 nanobubbles in palladium powders aged under tritium for several years were characterized using 3D analysis at the nanoscale. The nanobubbles were found to have diameters centered around 2.5 nm, and their interdistances were determined to have a mean value between 8 and 10 nm for the first time. The swelling of the aged material ranged from 8% to 18%, consistent with macroscopic measurements and modeling.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Juncheng Qi, Qing Huang, Kaiwei Yuan, Hengxin Fang, Lijuan Zhang, Jun Hu
Summary: This study investigates the formation and evolution of nanobubbles in water during the freezing process. The results show that the cooling rate affects the size and number concentration of nanobubbles, with a higher cooling rate resulting in smaller size and lower number concentration. The study also reveals that increasing the dissolved gas content enhances nanobubble production, while freezing reduces the number concentration of preexisting nanobubbles.
Article
Thermodynamics
Heejun Choi, Calvin Li, G. P. Peterson
Summary: Nanobubbles are gas/vapor cavities in an aqueous solution with a characteristic length of approximately 100 nanometers. Despite theoretical estimates of a short lifespan, experimental evidence suggests that nanobubbles can exist for hours or even days. Various methods can be used to generate nanobubbles, and imaging techniques have evolved to observe them with different levels of temporal and spatial resolution.
JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Francesca Petronella, Tristan Madeleine, Vincenzo De Mei, Federica Zaccagnini, Marinella Striccoli, Giampaolo D'Alessandro, Mariacristina Rumi, Jonathan Slagle, Malgosia Kaczmarek, Luciano De Sio
Summary: Metasurfaces, which can be organized by subwavelength elements on a reflective surface, lack tunability as adaptive optical components. In this study, we combined an innovative metasurface-optical absorber with nematic liquid crystals to achieve photothermal tunability and homogeneous alignment.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Raffaela Cabriolu, Bruno G. Pollet, Pietro Ballone
Summary: Molecular dynamics simulation was used to study the impact of two ionic liquids (IL) on the nucleation, growth, and collapse of (nano)cavities in water. The first IL, tetra-ethyl ammonium mesylate, decreased the tendency of water to form cavities at 25 wt % concentration. The second IL, tetrabutyl phosphonium 2,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonate, promoted the formation of bubbles at the interface of water and IL-rich domains. The presence of ions hindered the collapse of cavities in [P4444][DMBS]/water solutions.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
A. Azarian, F. Noori
Summary: The plasmonic properties of asymmetric nanoparticles play a crucial role in various applications. In this study, the symmetry of hexagonal nano-ring dimers (HNDs) was broken and their multimodal resonances were investigated. Additionally, the thermoplasmonic properties of HNDs were also studied, revealing a strong dependence of maximum temperature on the symmetry of the nanorings.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mashu Mita, Hisayoshi Matsushima, Mikito Ueda, Hiroshi Ito
Summary: In this study, in-situ HS-AFM observation was used to investigate the nucleation and growth of nanobubbles during water electrolysis. The study found that the evolution of hydrogen and oxygen nanobubbles exhibited different processes.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sarah A. Lindley, Qi An, William A. Goddard, Jason K. Cooper
Summary: The study combines TA and MD techniques to investigate the photophysical properties of solid and hollow gold nanospheres suspended in water. Hollow gold nanospheres exhibit faster excited state relaxation and larger amplitude acoustic phonon modes. MD simulations reveal the thermodynamic properties of hollow gold nanospheres, suggesting their potential use as photoinduced nanoreactors.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yu Zhang, Luca Mascaretti, Michele Melchionna, Olivier Henrotte, Stepan Kment, Paolo Fornasiero, Alberto Naldoni
Summary: A fabrication approach was developed to create TiN/F-doped carbon hybrids with high catalytic activity for H2O2 production. These hybrids showed a maximum H2O2 selectivity of 90% and achieved a H2O2 productivity of 207 mmol g(TiN) (-1) h(-1) at 0.2 V vs RHE. The formation of nanocomposites played a key role in achieving high currents, with increased TiO x N y surface content promoting higher H(2)O(2) selectivity and fluorinated nanocarbon imparting good stability to the electrodes due to their superhydrophobic properties.
Article
Polymer Science
David J. Simon, Tobias Thalheim, Frank Cichos, Felix Hartmann
Summary: Heat generation by plasmonic structures has led to intense research on matter manipulation in liquid environments. Tiny noble metal structures generate large temperature gradients, resulting in thermophoretic drifts, concentration fields, charge separation, and hydrodynamic boundary flows. These remotely triggered processes offer new possibilities for manipulating and studying colloids, single molecules, and their aggregates in solution.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Arianna Mazzotta, Alessio Gabbani, Marco Carlotti, Marina Ruggeri, Elvira Fantechi, Andrea Ottomaniello, Francesco Pineider, Andrea Pucci, Virgilio Mattoli
Summary: This study presents a transparent ink based on ITO nanoparticles for anti-counterfeiting technology. The ink can be printed on various substrates and becomes transparent under visible light but generates heat when exposed to NIR radiation. Thermal mapping and simulations were conducted to analyze the features and thermal resolution of the printed samples, as well as the effect of different substrates. A demonstrator with a hidden QR Code was also created, which became visible under NIR radiation in thermal images. The high transparency and fast thermal reading speed of the printed ink make it a promising strategy for low-cost, scalable production of photothermally active invisible labels.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Samira Khadir, Daniel Andren, Ruggero Verre, Qinghua Song, Serge Monneret, Patrice Genevet, Mikael Kall, Guillaume Baffou
Summary: An optical metasurface is composed of scattering nanostructures and can be used to design ultrathin lenses, beam deflectors, and holograms. Improving metasurface design involves developing postcharacterization techniques, with quadriwave lateral shearing interferometry being a versatile method for achieving full optical characterization of metasurfaces.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Barbora Spackova, Hana Sipova-Jungova, Mikael Kall, Joachim Fritzsche, Christoph Langhammer
Summary: Research shows that applying nanofluidics to plasmonic nanoparticles can achieve efficient single-molecule detection in ultra-small sample volumes, which conventional microfluidic devices cannot accomplish. By downsizing fluidic structures, both detection times and the number of detected binding events can be significantly improved.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Falko Schmidt, Hana Sipova-Jungova, Mikael Kaell, Alois Wuerger, Giovanni Volpe
Summary: Active nanoparticles in a critical solution show behavior far from equilibrium, with fast orbital rotations observed around the beam axis even with an increase in effective temperature.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mikael Kuisma, Benjamin Rousseaux, Krzysztof M. Czajkowski, Tuomas P. Rossi, Timur Shegai, Paul Erhart, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz
Summary: Ultrastrong coupling refers to a unique mode of interaction between light and matter, where the coupling strength is comparable to the resonance energy of the cavity or emitter. Traditional approximations to quantum optical Hamiltonians fail in the ultrastrong coupling regime, as the ground state of the coupled system obtains photonic characteristics, resulting in changes in ground-state energy. Using time-dependent density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that a single organic molecule can achieve ultrastrong coupling with a plasmonic dimer comprising of a few hundred atoms. The ultrastrong coupling leads to significant modifications in ground-state energy, accounting for a considerable portion of the total interaction energy.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Battulga Munkhbat, Piotr Wrobel, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz, Timur O. Shegai
Summary: Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are attracting significant attention for their remarkable optical and excitonic properties, with high refractive index and optical anisotropy making them attractive for nanophotonic applications. Experimental studies show that TMD multilayers exhibit high refractive index, significant anisotropy, and low absorption, offering new possibilities for the development of nanophotonics.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Krzysztof M. Czajkowski, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz
Summary: Large optical chirality near achiral high-index dielectric nanostructures has been found to enhance molecular circular dichroism. The dependence of this enhancement on the spatial distribution near high-index dielectric nanodisks is theoretically investigated. The results indicate that the choice of nanostructure and the presence of a substrate affect the spatial distribution of optical chirality.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pernilla Ekborg-Tanner, J. Magnus Rahm, Victor Rosendal, Maria Bancerek, Tuomas P. Rossi, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz, Paul Erhart
Summary: This study utilized a multiscale modeling approach to determine optimal conditions for optical hydrogen sensing using the Pd-Au-H system, and observed the pattern of optical sensitivity changing with hydrogen concentration at the single nanoparticle level. While alloy composition has limited impact, it strongly affects hydrogen uptake and thermodynamic sensitivity.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ferry Anggoro Ardy Nugroho, Dominika Switlik, Antonius Armanious, Padraic O'Reilly, Iwan Darmadi, Sara Nilsson, Vladimir P. Zhdanov, Fredrik Hook, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz, Christoph Langhammer
Summary: This paper presents a dual-band nanoplasmonic ruler that enables real-time simultaneous measurements of thickness and refractive index variations in uniform and heterogeneous layers, as well as tracking shape changes of nanostructures. The ruler offers sub-nanometer resolution and label-free operation, making it an important tool for nanobiological research and applications.
Article
Optics
Battulga Munkhbat, Betul Kucukoz, Denis G. Baranov, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz, Timur O. Shegai
Summary: Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), including semiconducting WS2, in-plane anisotropic ReS2, and metallic TaSe2, TaS2, and NbSe2, have attracted significant attention due to their exceptional optical, excitonic, mechanical, and electronic properties. Nanostructured multilayer TMDs, with their high refractive indices and optical anisotropy, show promise for nanophotonic applications. Advanced nanofabrication strategies, including careful selection of resists for electron beam lithography and etching methods, are discussed, with a specific focus on non-conductive substrates such as SiO2. These TMD-based nanostructures have the potential to impact high-index nanophotonics, plasmonics, and on-chip optical circuits.
LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Falko Schmidt, Agnese Callegari, Abdallah Daddi-Moussa-Ider, Battulga Munkhbat, Ruggero Verre, Timur Shegai, Mikael Kaell, Hartmut Loewen, Andrea Gambassi, Giovanni Volpe
Summary: Researchers have demonstrated the tunable repulsive critical Casimir forces, which are important for the development of micro- and nanodevices. The stiction between parts in micro- and nanodevices, caused by attractive Casimir-Lifshitz forces, has been successfully counteracted by the repulsive critical Casimir forces. This breakthrough provides active control and precise tunability in the forces acting between the constituent parts.
Article
Optics
Mohammad Mahdi Shanei, Einstom Engay, Mikael Kaell
Summary: Researchers have proposed an ultra-thin silicon-based metasurface technology that enables simultaneous confinement and propulsion of microparticles, allowing for the trapping and transport of microscopic particles in a thin liquid cell. This technology is expected to play a significant role in areas such as miniaturized optical sensing, driving, and sorting.
Article
Optics
Arumona Edward Arumona, Krzysztof M. Czajkowski, Tomasz J. Antosiewicz
Summary: In this study, hyperbolic nanoresonators composed of anisotropic materials were investigated for their unique optical properties. The tunability of the optical resonances and the interplay between shape and material anisotropy in determining the spectral response were demonstrated. The quasistatic magnetic response of the nanoresonators revealed a material-dependent origin of the mode.
Article
Optics
Mindaugas Juodenas, Erik Strandberg, Alexander Grabowski, Johan Gustavsson, Hana Sipova-Jungova, Anders Larsson, Mikael Kall
Summary: Flat metaoptics components have the potential to replace classical optics elements, leading to compact biophotonics devices when integrated with on-chip light sources and detectors. However, shaping light into wide angular range wavefronts with high efficiency using metasurfaces, as required in high-contrast microscopy applications, remains a challenge.
LIGHT-SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Katarzyna Kluczyk-Korch, Tomasz. J. J. Antosiewicz
Summary: In strongly coupled light matter systems, the electronic energy levels and local electromagnetic field modes are intricately linked. The hybridization of these states creates new relaxation pathways, which are particularly important for plasmon decay into hot carriers. By using first principles calculations, we investigate the impact of the coupling strength between a plasmonic resonator and a molecule on hot carrier generation. Our atomistic approach enables the capture of changes in the electronic structure of the system. We find that hot carriers preferentially occur at excitation frequencies matching the new polaritonic resonances, and their energy distribution deviates significantly from that of the non-interacting system. This suggests the existence of new plasmon decay paths due to the appearance of hybridized nanoparticle-molecule states. We also observe direct electron transfer between the plasmonic nanoparticle and the molecule. Therefore, we can conclude that strong interaction between plasmonic nanostructures and molecules allows for manipulation of the energy distribution of generated hot carriers and opens up possibilities for charge transfer in the system.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Daniel Midtvedt, Vasilii Mylnikov, Alexander Stilgoe, Mikael Kall, Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Giovanni Volpe
Summary: The deep-learning revolution is providing new opportunities for manipulating and harnessing light. It has already shown success in improving the design of nanophotonic devices and analyzing experimental data. However, challenges arise in understanding and interpreting the results and reliability of deep learning.