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- ItemRemarkable 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, AntonA 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
- ItemActively Tunable Collective Localized Surface Plasmons by Responsive Hydrogel Membrane(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Quilis, Nestor Gisbert; van Dongen, Marcel; Venugopalan, Priyamvada; Kotlarek, Daria; Petri, Christian; Cencerrado, Alberto Moreno; Stanescu, Sorin; Herrera, Jose Luis Toca; Jonas, Ulrich; Möller, Martin; Mourran, Ahmed; Dostalek, JakubCollective (lattice) localized surface plasmons (cLSP) with actively tunable and extremely narrow spectral characteristics are reported. They are supported by periodic arrays of gold nanoparticles attached to a stimuli-responsive hydrogel membrane, which can on demand swell and collapse to reversibly modulate arrays period and surrounding refractive index. In addition, it features a refractive index-symmetrical geometry that promotes the generation of cLSPs and leads to strong suppression of radiative losses, narrowing the spectral width of the resonance, and increasing of the electromagnetic field intensity. Narrowing of the cLSP spectral band down to 13 nm and its reversible shifting by up to 151 nm is observed in the near infrared part of the spectrum by varying temperature and by solvent exchange for systems with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based hydrogel membrane that is allowed to reversibly swell and collapse in either one or in three dimensions. The reported structures with embedded periodic gold nanoparticle arrays are particularly attractive for biosensing applications as the open hydrogel structure can be efficiently post-modified with functional moieties, such as specific ligands, and since biomolecules can rapidly diffuse through swollen polymer networks. © 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
- ItemHybrid Optical Fibers – An Innovative Platform for In‐Fiber Photonic Devices(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2015) Alexander Schmidt, Markus; Argyros, Alexander; Sorin, FabienThe field of hybrid optical fibers is one of the most active research areas in current fiber optics and has the vision of integrating sophisticated materials inside fibers, which are not traditionally used in fiber optics. Novel in-fiber devices with unique properties have been developed, opening up new directions for fiber optics in fields of critical interest in modern research, such as biophotonics, environmental science, optoelectronics, metamaterials, remote sensing, medicine, or quantum optics. Here the recent progress in the field of hybrid optical fibers is reviewed from an application perspective, focusing on fiber-integrated devices enabled by including novel materials inside polymer and glass fibers. The topics discussed range from nanowire-based plasmonics and hyperlenses, to integrated semiconductor devices such as optoelectronic detectors, and intense light generation unlocked by highly nonlinear hybrid waveguides.
- ItemNarrow Stimulated Resonance Raman Scattering and WGM Lasing in Small Conjugated Polymer Particles for Live Cell Tagging and Tracking(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Haehnle, Bastian; Lamla, Markus; Sparrer, Konstantin M.J.; Gather, Malte C.; Kuehne, Alexander J.C.Conjugated polymer particles are brightly fluorescing and stable materials for live cell imaging. Combination of conjugated polymers with a whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator allows laser emission from microscale particles. Once internalized by cells, the mode pattern of the laser emission can be used for tagging and tracking, as each laser spectrum represents a bar code to identify individual cells. However, currently these particle systems are limited by their large size, which might interfere with cellular functions. Here, stimulated resonance Raman scattering (SRRS) in small conjugated polymer microparticles is presented as a new method for generating narrow emission as an alternative to WGM-based laser emission. This opens up spectral range for multiplexing optical readout and multicolor imaging of live cells. The synthesis of monodisperse micrometer-sized poly(fluorene-co-divinylbenzene) particles is discussed and their WGM and SRRS emission are characterized. Finally, how these particles and their emission can be employed in live cell imaging and tagging is showcased. © 2020 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
- ItemThe Potential of Combining Thermal Scanning Probes and Phase-Change Materials for Tunable Metasurfaces(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Michel, Ann-Katrin U.; Meyer, Sebastian; Essing, Nicolas; Lassaline, Nolan; Lightner, Carin R.; Bisig, Samuel; Norris, David J.; Chigrin, Dmitry N.Metasurfaces allow for the spatiotemporal variation of amplitude, phase, and polarization of optical wavefronts. Implementation of active tunability of metasurfaces promises compact flat optics capable of reconfigurable wavefront shaping. Phase-change materials (PCMs) are a prominent material class enabling reconfigurable metasurfaces due to their large refractive index change upon structural transition. However, commonly employed laser-induced switching of PCMs limits the achievable feature sizes and restricts device miniaturization. Thermal scanning-probe-induced local switching of the PCM germanium telluride is proposed to realize near-infrared metasurfaces with feature sizes far below what is achievable with diffraction-limited optical switching. The design is based on a planar multilayer and does not require fabrication of protruding resonators as commonly applied in the literature. Instead, it is numerically demonstrated that a broad-band tuning of perfect absorption can be realized by the localized tip-induced crystallization of the PCM. The spectral response of the metasurface is explained using resonance mode analysis and numerical simulations. To facilitate experimental realization, a theoretical description of the tip-induced crystallization employing multiphysics simulations is provided to demonstrate the great potential for fabricating compact reconfigurable metasurfaces. The concept can be applied not only for plasmonic sensing and spatial frequency filtering, but also be transferred to all-dielectric metasurfaces. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH
- ItemLasing by Template-Assisted Self-Assembled Quantum Dots(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2023) Aftenieva, Olha; Sudzius, Markas; Prudnikau, Anatol; Adnan, Mohammad; Sarkar, Swagato; Lesnyak, Vladimir; Leo, Karl; Fery, Andreas; König, Tobias A.F.Miniaturized laser sources with low threshold power are required for integrated photonic devices. Photostable core/shell nanocrystals are well suited as gain material and their laser properties can be exploited by direct patterning as distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. Here, the 2nd-order DFB resonators tuned to the photoluminescence wavelength of the QDs are used. Soft lithography based on template-assisted colloidal self-assembly enables pattern resolution in the subwavelength range. Combined with the directional Langmuir–Blodgett arrangement, control of the waveguide layer thickness is further achieved. It is shown that a lasing threshold of 5.5 mJ cm−2 is reached by a direct printing method, which can be further reduced by a factor of ten (0.6 mJ cm−2) at an optimal waveguide thickness. Moreover, it is discussed how one can adjust the DFB geometries to any working wavelength. This colloidal approach offers prospects for applications in bioimaging, biomedical sensing, anti-counterfeiting, or displays.
- ItemColloidal Self-Assembly Concepts for Plasmonic Metasurfaces(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Mayer, Martin; Schnepf, Max J.; König, Tobias A.F.; Fery, AndreasMetallic 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
- ItemCharge‐Compensated N‐Doped π ‐Conjugated Polymers: Toward both Thermodynamic Stability of N‐Doped States in Water and High Electron Conductivity(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2022) Borrmann, Fabian; Tsuda, Takuya; Guskova, Olga; Kiriy, Nataliya; Hoffmann, Cedric; Neusser, David; Ludwigs, Sabine; Lappan, Uwe; Simon, Frank; Geisler, Martin; Debnath, Bipasha; Krupskaya, Yulia; Al‐Hussein, Mahmoud; Kiriy, AntonThe understanding and applications of electron-conducting π-conjugated polymers with naphtalene diimide (NDI) blocks show remarkable progress in recent years. Such polymers demonstrate a facilitated n-doping due to the strong electron deficiency of the main polymer chain and the presence of the positively charged side groups stabilizing a negative charge of the n-doped backbone. Here, the n-type conducting NDI polymer with enhanced stability of its n-doped states for prospective “in-water” applications is developed. A combined experimental–theoretical approach is used to identify critical features and parameters that control the doping and electron transport process. The facilitated polymer reduction ability and the thermodynamic stability in water are confirmed by electrochemical measurements and doping studies. This material also demonstrates a high conductivity of 10−2 S cm−1 under ambient conditions and 10−1 S cm−1 in vacuum. The modeling explains the stabilizing effects for various dopants. The simulations show a significant doping-induced “collapse” of the positively charged side chains on the core bearing a partial negative charge. This explains a decrease in the lamellar spacing observed in experiments. This study fundamentally enables a novel pathway for achieving both thermodynamic stability of the n-doped states in water and the high electron conductivity of polymers.
- ItemPlasmonic Properties of Colloidal Assemblies(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Rossner, Christian; König, Tobias A.F.; Fery, AndreasThe assembly of metal nanoparticles into supracolloidal structures unlocks optical features, which can go beyond synergistic combinations of the properties of their primary building units. This is due to inter-particle plasmonic coupling effects, which give rise to emergent properties. The motivation for this progress report is twofold: First, it is described how simulation approaches can be used to predict and understand the optical properties of supracolloidal metal clusters. These simulations may form the basis for the rational design of plasmonic assembly architectures, based on the desired functional cluster properties, and they may also spark novel material designs. Second, selected scalable state-of-the-art preparative strategies based on synthetic polymers to guide the supracolloidal assembly are discussed. These routes also allow for equipping the assembly structures with adaptive properties, which in turn enables (inter-)active control over the cluster optical properties. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
- ItemSpectrometer‐free Optical Hydrogen Sensing Based on Fano‐like Spatial Distribution of Transmission in a Metal−Insulator−Metal Plasmonic Doppler Grating(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Chen, Yi‐Ju; Lin, Fan‐Cheng; Singh, Ankit Kumar; Ouyang, Lei; Huang, Jer‐ShingOptical nanosensors are promising for hydrogen sensing because they are small, free from spark generation, and feasible for remote optical readout. Conventional optical nanosensors require broadband excitation and spectrometers, rendering the devices bulky and complex. An alternative is spatial intensity-based optical sensing, which only requires an imaging system and a smartly designed platform to report the spatial distribution of analytical optical signals. Here, a spatial intensity-based hydrogen sensing platform is presented based on Fano-like spatial distribution of the transmission in a Pd-Al2O3-Au metal-insulator-metal plasmonic Doppler grating (MIM-PDG). The MIM-PDG manifests the Fano resonance as an asymmetric spatial transmission intensity profile. The absorption of hydrogen changes the spatial Fano-like transmission profiles, which can be analyzed with a “spatial” Fano resonance model and the extracted Fano resonance parameters can be used to establish analytical calibration lines. While gratings sensitive to hydrogen absorption are suitable for hydrogen sensing, hydrogen insensitive gratings are also found, which provide an unperturbed reference signal and may find applications in nanophotonic devices that require a stable optical response under fluctuating hydrogen atmosphere. The MIM-PDG platform is a spectrometer-free and intensity-based optical sensor that requires only an imaging system, making it promising for cellphone-based optical sensing applications. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.