Enhanced Photochromism of Diarylethene Induced by Excitation of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance on Regular Arrays of Gold Nanoparticles

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation on the photochromic reaction of a diarylethene derivative (DE) was studied by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). UV and visible light irradiations transform reversibly DE between open-form (OF) and closed-form (CF) isomers, respectively. A mixture of PMMA and DE (either OF or CF isomer) was spin-coated onto gold nanorods (GNRs) arrays, designed by electron beam lithography, with two localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) at distinct wavelengths, due to their anisotropy. The photochromic reaction rates from CF to OF isomers, under LSPR excitation, were monitored from SERS spectral changes under different polarizations, on the same GNR substrate to compare the effect of LSPR field strength. It appears that the photoisomerization rate was faster when LSPR was excited with the polarization parallel to the GNR long axis. The present results highlight a potential genuine mechanism, from near field LSPR excitation, involved in the photochromic enhancement of diarylethene photochromes.     

二氧化钛包裹金纳米棒核壳材料的制备及其光解水制氢

利用溶胶凝胶法制备了金纳米棒(GNR)与TiO₂的核壳结构复合材料--GNR@TiO₂,粒径为200 nm左右。 经水热晶化后的材料粒径为300 nm左右,GNR形貌和局域表面等离子共振(LSPR)峰保持稳定,其外边包裹着树枝状的锐钛矿相TiO₂壳层。 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、X射线光电子能谱分析(XPS)、紫外可见吸收光谱、光催化制氢性能等技术手段测试表征了样品的结构及性能。 结果表明,晶化后的GNR@TiO₂在可见光范围内制氢速率为31.0 μmol/(g·h),相较与晶化前7.3 μmol/(g·h)得到了明显提升。 最后结合实验结果和时域有限差分(FDTD)分析了催化产氢机理:LSPR促进了可见光吸收,锐钛矿TiO₂对电场的增强促进了光生电子-空穴分离,同时晶化后的TiO₂壳层疏松多介孔,增加了活性位点,有利于传质。     

Photocurrent enhancement by surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles in highly porous dye-sensitized solar cells

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by silver nanoparticles that are photochemically incorporated into an electrode-supported TiO(2) nanoparticulate framework enhances the extinction of a subsequently adsorbed dye (the ruthenium-containing molecule, N719). The enhancement arises from both an increase in the dye's effective absorption cross section and a modest increase in the framework surface area. Deployment of the silver-modified assembly as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells leads to light-to-electrical energy conversion with an overall efficiency of 8.9%. This represents a 25% improvement over the performance of otherwise identical solar cells lacking corrosion-protected silver nanoparticles. As one would expect based on increased dye loading and electromagnetic field enhanced (LSPR-enhanced) absorption, the improvement is manifested chiefly as an increase in photocurrent density ascribable to improved light harvesting.     

Enhancement of Nonlinear Optical Scattering by Gold Nanoparticles through Aggregation-Induced Plasmon Coupling in the Near-Infrared

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are regarded as promising building blocks in functional nanomaterials for sensing, drug delivery and catalysis. One remarkable property of these particles is the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which gives rise to augmented optical properties through local field enhancement. LSPR also influences the nonlinear optical properties of metal NPs (MNPs) making them potentially interesting candidates for fast, high resolution nonlinear optical imaging. In this work we characterize and discuss the wavelength dependence of the hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) behavior of spherical gold nanoparticles (GNP) and gold nanorods (GNR) in solution, from 850 nm up to 1300 nm, covering the near-infrared (NIR) window relevant for deep tissue imaging. The high-resolution spectral data allows discriminating between HRS and two photon photoluminescence contributions. Upon particle aggregation, we measured very large enhancements (ca. 10⁴) of the HRS intensity in the NIR, which is explained by considering aggregation-induced plasmon coupling effects and local field enhancement. These results indicate that purposely designed coupled nanostructures could prove advantageous for nonlinear optical imaging and biosensing applications.     

构筑先进二维异质结构Ag/WO3−x用于提升光电转化效率

Solar energy, which is clean, affordable and reliable, can help alleviate the current environmental pollution and energy crisis efficiently. In the past few decades, great progress has been made in harvesting and converting solar energy into chemical energy. Among various technologies, plasmon-induced photoelectrochemistry has been proposed as a promising alternative for solar energy conversion. The hot electrons generated from plasmon excitation and transfer from metal nanostructures to semiconductors is a potential new paradigm for solar energy conversion. However, the ultrafast decay of the hot carriers is unfavorable for the improvement of photocatalytic efficiency. Therefore, finding more efficient photocatalysts, with enhanced light absorption and a longer carrier lifetime, is of paramount importance for improving the conversion efficiency of solar energy, but their fabrication is challenging. In this work, a plasmonic metal/semiconductor heterostructure based on Ag nanoparticles embedded in two-dimensional (2D) amorphous sub-stoichiometric tungsten trioxide (a-WO_3−x), followed by annealing, was successfully fabricated. Firstly, the peculiar nanostructure of 2D a-WO_3−x was successfully constructed from WS₂ nanosheets with supercritical CO₂ (SC CO₂) at 200 ℃. Secondly, the Ag/a-WO_3−x heterostructure was synthesized using an in situ reduction method. Finally, the obtained 2D heterostructure of Ag/WO_3−x was annealed at 400 ℃ in N₂ to further improve its stability and conductivity. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the structure, morphology, and composition of the material, respectively. UV-Vis spectra were also measured to evaluate light adsorption. Characterization results show that the amorphous structure can effectively anchor metal nanoparticles, and the metal nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in the amorphous region and have a small size. The as-prepared nanocomposites showed efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting when serving as photoelectrode materials, and efficient PEC activity towards photo-oxidation degradation currents under excitation of Ag localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The photocurrent response of the Ag/WO_3−x heterostructure was approximately five times greater than that of a-WO_3−x. Moreover, the PEC degradation efficiency of Ag/WO_3−x reached 96.7% for MO under Vis light illumination (after reaction for 120 min), while the PEC degradation efficiency of WO_3−x was only 63.6%. The high PEC performance of the composite photoanode can be ascribed to the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of the Ag nanoparticles, which can enhance the light absorption and hot electron transformation. Moreover, the construction of local crystalline-amorphous interfaces can further promote the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and thus increase conductivity. This work provides a positive strategy for the fabrication of advanced photocatalysts, and a new perspective on understanding of the synergistic effects of structural and electronic regulations.     

一步法制备二氧化钛-金复合材料及其光解水制氢性能

以钛粉为还原剂,氯金酸为氧化剂,将二者在180 ℃水热反应釜中发生氧化还原反应,最终生成直径800 nm左右的TiO₂,比表面积为3.5 m²/g左右,其表面均匀担载了直径20 nm左右的金纳米颗粒。 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、X射线光电子能谱分析(XPS)、紫外可见漫反射光谱、光电流密度、光催化制氢性能等测试表征了该复合催化剂的结构及性能。 结果表明,一步法制备的复合催化剂形貌规整,TiO₂为锐钛矿晶型,金纳米颗粒的局域表面等离子体共振(LSPR)作用促进了催化剂对可见光有较强的吸收,催化剂催化产氢性能伴随金含量增大存在先增后减规律,可见光下最大产氢速率为0.1 μmol/(g·h),光催化活性表现稳定。     

Long-range alignment of gold nanorods in electrospun polymer nano/microfibers

In this study, a scalable fabrication technique for controlling and maintaining the nanoscale orientation of gold nanorods (GNRs) with long-range macroscale order has been achieved through electrospinning. The volume fraction of GNRs with an average aspect ratio of 3.1 is varied from 0.006 to 0.045 in aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) solutions to generate electrospun fibers possessing different GNR concentrations and measuring 40-3000 nm in diameter. The GNRs within these fibers exhibit excellent alignment with their longitudinal axis parallel to the fiber axis n. According to microscopy analysis, the average deviant angle between the GNR axis and n increases modestly from 3.8 to 13.3° as the fiber diameter increases. Complementary electron diffraction measurements confirm preferred orientation of the {100} GNR planes. Optical absorbance spectroscopy measurements reveal that the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance bands of the aligned GNRs depend on the polarization angle and that maximum extinction occurs when the polarization is parallel to n.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering: realization of localized surface plasmon resonance using unique substrates and methods

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement and the reproducibility of the SERS signal strongly reflect the quality and nature of the SERS substrates because of diverse localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitations excited at interstitials or sharp edges. LSPR excitations are the most important ingredients for achieving huge enhancements in the SERS process. In this report, we introduce several gold and silver nanoparticle-based SERS-active substrates developed solely by us and use these substrates to investigate the influence of LSPR excitations on SERS. SERS-active gold substrates were fabricated by immobilizing colloidal gold nanoparticles on glass slides without using any surfactants or electrolytes, whereas most of the SERS-active substrates that use colloidal gold/silver nanoparticles are not free of surfactant. Isolated aggregates, chain-like elongated aggregates and two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures were found to consist mostly of monolayers rather than agglomerations. With reference to correlated LSPR and SERS, combined experiments were carried out on a single platform at the same spatial position. The isolated aggregates mostly show a broadened and shifted SPR peak, whereas a weak blue-shifted peak is observed near 430 nm in addition to broadened peaks centered at 635 and 720 nm in the red spectral region in the chain-like elongated aggregates. In the case of 2D nanostructures, several SPR peaks are observed in diverse frequency regions. The characteristics of LSPR and SERS for the same gold nanoaggregates lead to a good correlation between SPR and SERS images. The elongated gold nanostructures show a higher enhancement of the Raman signal than the the isolated and 2D samples. In the case of SERS-active silver substrates for protein detection, a new approach has been adopted, in contrast to the conventional fabrication method. Colloidal silver nanoparticles are immobilized on the protein functionalized glass slides, and further SERS measurements are carried out based on LSPR excitations. A new strategy for the detection of biomolecules, particularly glutathione, under aqueous conditions is proposed. Finally, supramolecular J-aggregates of ionic dyes incorporated with silver colloidal aggregates are characterized by SERS measurements and correlated to finite-difference time-domain analysis with reference to LSPR excitations. Figure SPR and SERS images for isolated, elongated and two-dimensional gold nanostructures     

A comparative analysis of localized and propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors: the binding of concanavalin a to a monosaccharide functionalized self-assembled monolayer

A comparative analysis of the properties of two optical biosensor platforms: (1) the propagating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a planar, thin film gold surface and (2) the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor based on surface confined Ag nanoparticles fabricated by nanosphere lithography (NSL) are presented. The binding of Concanavalin A (ConA) to mannose-functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) was chosen to highlight the similarities and differences between the responses of the real-time angle shift SPR and wavelength shift LSPR biosensors. During the association phase in the real-time binding studies, both SPR and LSPR sensors exhibited qualitatively similar signal vs time curves. However, in the dissociation phase, the SPR sensor showed an approximately 5 times greater loss of signal than the LSPR sensor. A comprehensive set of nonspecific binding studies demonstrated that this signal difference was not the consequence of greater nonspecific binding to the LSPR sensor but rather a systematic function of the Ag nanoparticle's nanoscale structure. Ag nanoparticles with larger aspect ratios showed larger dissociation phase responses than those with smaller aspect ratios. A theoretical analysis based on finite element electrodynamics demonstrates that this results from the characteristic decay length of the electromagnetic fields surrounding Ag nanoparticles being of comparable dimensions to the ConA molecules. Finally, an elementary (2 x 1) multiplexed version of an LSPR carbohydrate sensing chip to probe the simultaneous binding of ConA to mannose and galactose-functionalized SAMs has been demonstrated.     

Selective photothermal therapy for breast cancer with targeting peptide modified gold nanorods

In this work, we prepared polyacrylic acid (PAA) coated gold nanorods (GNRs) and then the targeting peptide modified GNRs. The biocompatibility and stability of functionalized GNRs were investigated by monitoring the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption intensity. The efficacy of targeted thermal therapy can be significantly enhanced via decoration with surface-bound peptide which was obtained through phage display technology. In addition, the photothermal therapy was monitored in real time with the multi-channel function of a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) coupled with an 808 nm laser. This selective photothermal therapy of GNRs is a promising candidate for phototherapeutic applications.     

A Two-dimensional Amorphous Plasmonic Heterostructure of Pd/MoO3-x for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Performance

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have a great potential for solar energy harvesting applications. Exploring 2D amorphous plasmonic heterostructures with high light absorption and catalytic activity is desirable yet challenging. Herein, 2D Pd/MoO_3-x amorphous heterostructures can be obtained by immobilizing Pd single atoms in unsaturated coordination sites of amorphous MoO_3-x, because of strong metal-support interactions, and it reaches a current density of 50 μA cm⁻² for photoelectrochemical response with good durability, and exhibits a high incident-photon-to-current-conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 14.8% at 460 nm. Such an enhanced catalytic effects are contributed to the enhanced light absorption in visible region and change of electronic structure owing to enhanced electron transfer through dominant Pd−O bonds, which facilitate water splitting. This work moves a step closer to the expansion of photovoltaic device with the high conversion efficiency for visible light for amorphous heterostructures.     

Analysis of immunoreaction with localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor

The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based optical biosensor was used as a potential tool for label-free detection of immunoreaction. The glass substrate covered with the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of gold colloids was used widely in the sensors. Here, the glass substrate was modified by chemical hydroxylation first, and then gold colloids were immobilized on the substrate by electrostatic adsorption. The LSPR spectra were obtained on UV–vis absorption spectrometer. The specificity was examined by extensive nonspecific binding tests. The resonance condition on the local dielectric environment enables a simple form of molecular sensing. The binding of analyte to the biosensor surface causes a change in the absorbance which was responsive to the concentration of human IgG. So, the LSPR sensing yields similar results to the SPR technique, yet with much simpler instrument.     

SiO2/TiO2 Hollow Nanoparticles Decorated with Ag Nanoparticles: Enhanced Visible Light Absorption and Improved Light Scattering in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Hollow SiO₂/TiO₂ nanoparticles decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) of controlled size (Ag@HNPs) were fabricated in order to enhance visible‐light absorption and improve light scattering in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). They exhibited localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the LSPR effects were significantly influenced by the size of the Ag NPs. The absorption peak of the LSPR band dramatically increased with increasing Ag NP size. The LSPR of the large Ag NPs mainly increased the light absorption at short wavelengths, whereas the scattering from the SiO₂/TiO₂ HNPs improved the light absorption at long wavelengths. This enabled the working electrode to use the full solar spectrum. Furthermore, the SiO₂ layer thickness was adjusted to maximize the LSPR from the Ag NPs and avoid corrosion of the Ag NPs by the electrolyte. Importantly, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased from 7.1 % with purely TiO₂‐based DSSCs to 8.1 % with HNP‐based DSSCs, which is an approximately 12 % enhancement and can be attributed to greater light scattering. Furthermore, the PCEs of Ag@HNP‐based DSSCs were 11 % higher (8.1 vs. 9.0 %) than the bare‐HNP‐based DSSCs, which can be attributed to LSPR. Together, the PCE of Ag@HNP‐based DSSCs improved by a total of 27 %, from 7.1 to 9.0 %, due to these two effects. This comparative research will offer guidance in the design of multifunctional nanomaterials and the optimization of solar‐cell performance.     

Label-free optical diagnosis of hepatitis B virus with genetically engineered fusion proteins

A simple biosensing strategy for the diagnosis of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) was developed. This study can be divided into two themes, both of which utilized gold-binding polypeptide (GBP) fusion proteins: HBV surface antigen PreS2 (HBsAg) detection with GBP-fused single chain antibody (GBP-ScFv) and anti-HBsAg detection with GBP-HBsAg. These GBP-fusion proteins can directly bind onto the gold surface via the high binding affinity between the GBP and the gold surface, while at the same time, orient the recognition sites toward the sample for target binding. This one-step immobilization strategy, which greatly simplifies a fabrication process as well as maintaining biological activity of the recognition elements, can be applied to optical analytical methods, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).     

金纳米棒——从可控制备与修饰到纳米生物学与生物医学应用

金纳米棒因其独特的光学活性(纵向和横向两个等离子体共振吸收峰,可调范围从可见光区到近红外区)、长径比可调,表面易于修饰,生物相容性良好而使得其在纳米生物学和生物医学等领域具有广泛的应用前景。金纳米棒的合成及表面修饰直接决定着其物理化学性质,进而影响其生物相容性及其在生物医学中的应用。本文综述了金纳米棒的可控制备方法(包括模板法、电化学法、光化学法和晶种法)、表面可控修饰方法及其在纳米生物学和生物医学中的应用新进展,重点总结了金纳米棒的表面可控修饰及其在分子探针、生物传感、生物成像、药物载体、基因载体和光热疗法的最新研究进展。最后针对金纳米棒在生物应用过程中的一些瓶颈问题(如:特异性识别能力需要增强和荧光量子产率尚待提高等)提出了将手性分子或智能聚合物引入到金纳米棒表面进行可控修饰,以期增强其特异性识别能力并提高荧光量子产率,为金纳米棒的发展提供了新的思路。     

基于纳米金Core-satellites等离子体耦合增强效应的汞离子光纤传感器的研究

以DNA杂交双链为联接, 构建纳米金颗粒Core-satellites结构并激发等离子体耦合增强效应,利用Hg2+可与DNA中胸腺嘧啶T形成T-Hg2+-T特异性结构,研制了用于检测水中Hg2+的局域等离子体共振(LSPR)光纤传感器.待测溶液中的Hg2+能够引起富含T的DNA单链折叠,抑制DNA杂交反应,降低等离子体耦合强度,改变LSPR谐振波长.通过检测谐振波长红移变化,实现对Hg2+浓度的定量检测.本方法检测Hg2+的线性范围为5~150 nmol/L, 检出限为3.4 nmol/L (3σ). Zn2+、Mg2+、Pb2+等重金属离子对Hg2+检测无明显干扰作用.实际水样中Hg2+加样回收率为94.2%~105.4%,相对标准偏差<4.8%.     

金纳米棒的光学性质研究进展

金纳米棒在紫外-可见-近红外(UV-Vis-NIR)波段具有独特的可调节表面等离子体共振(SPR)光学特性,其良好的稳定性、低生物毒性、亮丽的色彩和在催化、信息存储、生物医学等领域广阔的应用前景受到相关研究领域的广泛关注.结合已有的研究基础,本文主要综述了金纳米棒光学性质的研究进展,包括表面等离子体共振、局域场增强效应、共振耦合效应及荧光特性,并对金纳米棒的应用做了展望.     

Widely tuning optical properties of nanoporous gold-titania core-shells

Widely shifting localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands of nanoporous metals is essential for light manipulation within small volumes. In this work, nanoporous gold-titania core-shells fabricated by atomic layer deposition exhibit tunable LSPR of gold skeletons in comparison with nanoporous gold-alumina developed before. Extremely large red-shift of LSPR band in nanoporous gold-titania from 537 to 751 nm results from high refractive index of titania and its dielectric medium dependence of LSPR, and the well-controlled thickness of titania shell at the nanometer scale will benefit to integrate optical nanodevices with supreme performances.     

New Optical Chemical Sensors Based on Surface Piasmon Resonance

A kind of new optical chemical sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) have been developed recently in this laboratory. Traditionally, the sensors based on SPR are making use of a coupling prism coated with a thin gold film and performed by varying the incidence angle with a goniometer.     

叶绿素敏化二氧化钛纳米管电极光电性能及其增强机理

为了研究叶绿素的敏化机理,本文以菠菜叶片叶绿素的乙醇浸提液敏化纳米管TiO_2电极,在Na2SO4水溶液电解液中测定其光电性能。敏化电极的光电流响应曲线显示,叶绿素浸提液敏化纳米管TiO_2电极时会显著改变电极的光电流值,而敏化Ti电极时则产生光电流极小。电极的循环伏安曲线则表明,叶绿素浸提液使电极上的氧化反应更容易发生。测定不同浓度的叶绿素浸提液敏化纳米管TiO_2电极的单色光光电转化效率(IPCE)图谱,结果表明,合适的叶绿素浓度(7.123~71.23μg/L)使电极IPCE平均增加2倍以上,但浓度增大至7123μg/L时,其敏化电极IPCE则明显降低;同时发现叶绿素的敏化作用未明显改变TiO_2电极IPCE图谱的特征谱峰位置。根据实验数据和结果,得出在水溶液中叶绿素改变纳米管TiO_2光电性能的机理,主要是通过叶绿素分子与TiO_2电极中的光生空穴发生反应,进而减少光生电子与空穴的复合,使电极有效光生电子数量增加,光电流密度增大,最终提高TiO_2电极的IPCE。