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    Remarkable Mechanochromism in Blends of a π-Conjugated Polymer P3TEOT: The Role of Conformational Transitions and Aggregation
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Zessin, Johanna; Schnepf, Max; Oertel, Ulrich; Beryozkina, Tetyana; König, Tobias A.F.; Fery, Andreas; Mertig, Michael; Kiriy, Anton
    A novel mechanism for well-pronounced mechanochromism in blends of a π-conjugated polymer based on reversible conformational transitions of a chromophore rather than caused by its aggregation state, is exemplified. Particularly, a strong stretching-induced bathochromic shift of the light absorption, or hypsochromic shift of the emission, is found in blends of the water-soluble poly(3-tri(ethylene glycol)) (P3TEOT) embedded into the matrix of thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol. This counterintuitive phenomenon is explained in terms of the concentration dependency of the P3TEOT's aggregation state, which in turn results in different molecular conformations and optical properties. A molecular flexibility, provided by low glass transition temperature of P3TEOT, and the fact that P3TEOT adopts an intermediate, moderately planar conformation in the solid state, are responsible for the unusual complex mechanochromic behavior. © 2019 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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    Colloidal Self-Assembly Concepts for Plasmonic Metasurfaces
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Mayer, Martin; Schnepf, Max J.; König, Tobias A.F.; Fery, Andreas
    Metallic nanostructures exhibit strong interactions with electromagnetic radiation, known as the localized surface plasmon resonance. In recent years, there is significant interest and growth in the area of coupled metallic nanostructures. In such assemblies, short- and long-range coupling effects can be tailored and emergent properties, e.g., metamaterial effects, can be realized. The term “plasmonic metasurfaces” is used for this novel class of assemblies deposited on planar surfaces. Herein, the focus is on plasmonic metasurfaces formed from colloidal particles. These are formed by self-assembly and can meet the demands of low-cost manufacturing of large-area, flexible, and ultrathin devices. The advances in high optical quality of the colloidal building blocks and methods for controlling their self-assembly on surfaces will lead to novel functional devices for dynamic light modulators, pulse sharpening, subwavelength imaging, sensing, and quantum devices. This progress report focuses on predicting optical properties of single colloidal building blocks and their assemblies, wet-chemical synthesis, and directed self-assembly of colloidal particles. The report concludes with a discussion of the perspectives toward expanding the colloidal plasmonic metasurfaces concept by integrating them with quantum emitters (gain materials) or mechanically responsive structures. © 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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    Tunable Circular Dichroism by Photoluminescent Moiré Gratings
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Aftenieva, Olha; Schnepf, Max; Mehlhorn, Börge; König, Tobias A.F.
    In nanophotonics, there is a current demand for ultrathin, flexible nanostructures that are simultaneously easily tunable, demonstrate a high contrast, and have a strong response in photoluminescent polarization. In this work, the template-assisted self-assembly of water-dispersed colloidal core–shell quantum dots into 1D light-emitting sub-micrometer gratings on a flexible substrate is demonstrated. Combining such structures with a light-absorbing metallic counterpart by simple stacking at various angles results in a tunable Moiré pattern with strong lateral contrast. Furthermore, a combination with an identical emitter-based grating leads to a chiroptical effect with a remarkably high degree of polarization of 0.72. Such a structure demonstrates direct circular polarized photoluminescence, for the first time, without a need for an additional chiral template as an intermediary. The suggested approach allows for reproducible, large-area manufacturing at reasonable costs and is of potential use for chiroptical sensors, photonic circuit applications, or preventing counterfeit. © 2020 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
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    Nanoimprint Lithography Facilitated Plasmonic-Photonic Coupling for Enhanced Photoconductivity and Photocatalysis
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Gupta, Vaibhav; Sarkar, Swagato; Aftenieva, Olha; Tsuda, Takuya; Kumar, Labeesh; Schletz, Daniel; Schultz, Johannes; Kiriy, Anton; Fery, Andreas; Vogel, Nicolas; König, Tobias A.F.
    Imprint lithography has emerged as a reliable, reproducible, and rapid method for patterning colloidal nanostructures. As a promising alternative to top-down lithographic approaches, the fabrication of nanodevices has thus become effective and straightforward. In this study, a fusion of interference lithography (IL) and nanosphere imprint lithography on various target substrates ranging from carbon film on transmission electron microscope grid to inorganic and dopable polymer semiconductor is reported. 1D plasmonic photonic crystals are printed with 75% yield on the centimeter scale using colloidal ink and an IL-produced polydimethylsiloxane stamp. Atomically smooth facet, single-crystalline, and monodisperse colloidal building blocks of gold (Au) nanoparticles are used to print 1D plasmonic grating on top of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) slab waveguide, producing waveguide-plasmon polariton modes with superior 10 nm spectral line-width. Plasmon-induced hot electrons are confirmed via two-terminal current measurements with increased photoresponsivity under guiding conditions. The fabricated hybrid structure with Au/TiO2 heterojunction enhances photocatalytic processes like degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye molecules using the generated hot electrons. This simple colloidal printing technique demonstrated on silicon, glass, Au film, and naphthalenediimide polymer thus marks an important milestone for large-scale implementation in optoelectronic devices. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Functional Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH