Noble Metal Clusters: Applications in Energy,Environment, and Biology

Sub‐nanometer‐sized metal clusters, having dimensions between metal atoms and nanoparticles, have attracted tremendous attention in the recent past due to their unique physical and chemical properties. As properties of such materials depend strongly on size, development of synthetic routes that allows precise tuning of the cluster cores with high monodispersity and purity is an area of intense research. Such materials are also interesting owing to their wide variety of applications. Novel sensing strategies based on these materials are emerging. Owing to their extremely small size, low toxicity, and biocompatibility, they are widely studied for biomedical applications. Primary focus of this review is to provide an account of the recent advances in their applications in areas such as environment, energy, and biology. With further experimental and theoretical advances aimed at understanding their novel properties and solving challenges in their synthesis, an almost unlimited field of applications can be foreseen.     

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes/graphene by polyoxometalates and their enhanced photo-electrical catalysis

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are carbon-based materials, which possess not only unique structure but also properties such as high surface area, extraordinary mechanical properties, high electronic conductivity, and chemical stability.Thus, they have been regarded as an important material, especially for exploring a variety of complex catalysts. Considerable efforts have been made to functionalize and fabricate carbon-based composites with metal nanoparticles. In this review,we summarize the recent progress of our research on the decoration of carbon nanotubes/graphene with metal nanoparticles by using polyoxometalates as key agents, and their enhanced photo-electrical catalytic activities in various catalytic reactions. The polyoxometalates play a key role in constructing the nanohybrids and contributing to their photo-electrical catalytic properties.     

芯-壳结构复合纳米颗粒

芯－壳结构复合纳米颗粒因其独特结构而具有许多奇异的性质，尤其体现在可人工设计和可控的光学性质上：根据不同的性质要求，通过改变组分和壳层与芯部的相对尺寸来实现光学性质在很宽波段范围内的可调特性，这一特性在光敏器件（如光开关，光过滤器）以及下一代的纳米光子光等很多领域有着广阔的应用前景，并在目前红外材料的改性上也会大显身手，文章介绍了几种芯－壳复合纳米颗粒的合成及其性质研究现状，并作相应的展望。     

Role of Nanoparticles in Photocatalysis

The aim of this review paper is to give an overview of the development and implications of nanotechnology in photocatalysis. The topics covered include a detailed look at the unique properties of nanoparticles and their relation to photocatalytic properties. Current applications of and research into the use of nanoparticles as photocatalysts has also been reviewed. Also covered is the utilization of nanoparticles in doped, coupled, capped, sensitized and organic–inorganic nanocomposite semiconductor systems, with an effort to enhance photocatalytic and/or optical properties of commonly used semiconductor materials. The use of nanocrystalline thin films in electrochemically assisted photocatalytic processes has been included. Finally, the use of nanoparticles has made a significant contribution in providing definitive mechanistic information regarding the photocatalytic process.     

表面修饰基团对金纳米颗粒非线性光学效应的影响研究

采用两相法分别制备一级硫醇修饰和二级十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB) 修饰的金纳米颗粒,通过透射电子显微镜和紫外-可见吸收光谱表征了其结构和线性光学性质. 采用开孔Z扫描技术,研究表面修饰对金纳米颗粒在532 nm波长激光作用下的非线性光学效应及光限幅性能的影响行为.结果表明,二级CTAB的修饰增强了颗粒在激光照射下的局域场作用, 并提高了热电子对非线性光学效应的贡献程度,从而有效地提高了金纳米颗粒的光限幅性能.     

Time-resolved analysis of nonlinear optical limiting for laser synthesized carbon nanoparticles

Nonlinear optical limiting materials have attracted much research interest in recent years. Carbon nanoparticles suspended in liquids show a strong nonlinear optical limiting function. It is important to investigate the nonlinear optical limiting process of carbon nanoparticles for further improving their nonlinear optical limiting performance. In this study, carbon nanoparticles were prepared by laser ablation of a carbon target in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Optical limiting properties of the samples were studied with 532-nm laser light, which is in the most sensitive wavelength band for human eyes. The shape of the laser pulse plays an important role for initializing the nonlinear optical limiting effect. Time-resolved analysis of laser pulses discovered 3 fluence stages of optical limiting. Theoretical simulation indicates that the optical limiting is initialized by a near-field optical enhancement effect.     

Functionalized Magnetite Nanoparticles—Synthesis,Properties, and Bio-Applications

Nanotechnology has generated tremendous hopes in recent years toward the design of advanced functional materials, especially in the bio-medical field. Nano-sized-materials such as magnetite nanoparticles display indeed fascinating physico-chemical properties that, if tuned properly, can be exploited to design new bio-diagnostic and therapeutic strategies as well as innovative biotechnology methodologies. Owing to their biocompatibility and excellent magnetic properties, magnetite nanocrystals have been the object of a tremendous amount of research in the last decade and numerous (bio)applications have been reported. Importantly, advances in the synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles enable excellent control over their size, shape, and composition. Despite these remarkable progresses, many issues remain to be overcome for these nanotechnology products to revolution the medical practice. The fine control and application of colloidal nanostructures such as magnetite nanoparticles in complex biological systems remains especially challenging. This article attempts to review the current status of magnetite nanoparticles preparation and use, with a special emphasis on bio-medical applications, but also to outline the promises and challenges associated to this emerging technology.     

Synthesis,Morphological Control,and Properties of Silver Nanoparticles in Potential Applications

Nanostructured materials, especially nanoparticles (NPs), of noble metal NPs such as silver (Ag) have been the focus of research in recent decades because of their distinct physical, chemical, and biological properties. These materials have attracted considerable attention because of their potential applications, such as catalysis, biosensing, drug delivery, and nanodevice fabrication. Previous studies on Ag NPs have clearly demonstrated that their electromagnetic, optical, and catalytic properties are strongly influenced by their shape, size, and size distribution, which can be varied by using different synthetic methods, reducing agents, and stabilizers. The valuable optical properties of Ag NPs have allowed for new approaches in sensing and imaging applications, offering a wide range of detection modes, such as colorimetric, scattering, and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering techniques, at extremely low detection limits. Here, an overview of the various chemical, physical, and biological properties of Ag NP fabrication approaches to obtain the various shapes and sizes is presented.     

Monofunctional gold nanoparticles: synthesis and applications

The ability to control the assembly of nanoparticle building blocks is critically important for the development of new materials and devices. The properties and functions of nanomaterials are not only dependent on the size and properties of individual particles, but also the interparticle distance and interactions. In order to control the structures of nanoassemblies, it is important to first achieve a precise control on the chemical functionality of nanoparticle building blocks. This review discusses three methods that have been reported recently for the preparation of monofunctional gold nanoparticles, i.e., nanoparticles with a single chemical functional group attached to each particle. The advantages and disadvantages of the three methods are discussed and compared. With a single functional group attached to the surface, one can treat such nanoparticles as molecular building blocks to react with other molecules or nanoparticles. In other words, by using appropriate chemical reactions, nanoparticles can be linked together into nanoassemblies and materials by covalent bonds, similar to the total chemical synthesis of complicated organic compounds from smaller molecular units. An example of using this approach for the synthesis of nanoparticle/polymer hybrid materials with optical limiting properties is presented. Other potential applications and advantages of covalent bond-based nanoarchitectures vs. non-covalent interaction-based supramolecular self-assemblies are also discussed briefly in this review.     

纳米尺度下的局域场增强研究进展

金属纳米颗粒的等离激元共振引起的局域场增强效应,对显微成像、光谱学、半导体器件、非线性光学等诸多领域都具有极大的应用潜力。尤其是在光学纳米材料领域,通过亚波长金属纳米颗粒与电介质的组合引起局域场增强效应,提高了纳米材料的光学性能,并促进纳米材料在光学领域的应用。本文主要综述几种常见纳米结构所产生的局域场增强效应及其应用,详细介绍并总结了金属纳米材料的不同结构参数与局域场增强的关系及局域场增强在非线性光学、光谱学、半导体器件等领域的应用。未来,随着对金属纳米材料的研究愈发深入,局域场增强的应用将更加广泛,这将对诸多领域的发展产生重要影响。     

Characterization of Nanophase Materials

This contribution is a preprint of one chapter of Professor Wang's edited new book “Characterization of Nanophase Materials” (ISBN 3–527–29837–1), published by WILEY–VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Germany. Engineering of nanophase materials and devices is of vital interest in electronics, semiconductors and optics, catalysis, ceramics and magnetism. Development of nanotechnology involves several steps, of which characterization of nanoparticles is indespensable in understanding the behavior and properties of nanoparticles, aiming at implementing nanotechnology, controlling their behavior and designing new nanomaterials systems with super performance. The book focuses on structural and property characterization of nanocrystals and their assemblies, with an emphasis on basic physical approach, detailed techniques, data interpretation and applications. Intended as a comprehensive reference work for postgraduate students and researchers in the field who are specialized in materials chemistry, materials physics, and materials science.     

Rare-earth ions in porous matrices

Initially motivated by the commercial need for cheaper and environmentally friendly luminescent materials for application in fluorescent lamps and cathode ray tubes, the search for new matrices for optically active species has penetrated a scope far beyond “classical” solid-state materials. Porous matrices with voids ranging from the nano-to the microscale have become the subject of recent investigations. Crystalline, amorphous, organomorphous, nanosized matrices and matrices, which are amorphous on the atomic level but have a translational superstructure on the microscale (zeolites, sol-gel materials, polymers, nanoparticles and photonic crystals), are addressed. The optical technologies covered in this research range from mercury free discharge lamps, plasma displays, organic and polymeric light emitting diodes, and novel laser materials to biophotonics and the new generation of white emitting AlGaN solid-state light emitting diodes (LEDs). Due to their specific properties (e.g., high quantum yields, narrow line emission), rare-earth ions are indispensable components of these approaches, be it in the nanoscaling zeolites, sol-gel matrices, or as the active component in optically functional polymers. Optical properties of hybrid materials composed of either rare-earth ions as such, their complexes, or nanoparticles in these matrices, with potential application in the fields mentioned, will form the scope of the present report.     

基于金纳米粒子的光谱分析法进行单细胞探测

在过去的几十年中,等离子纳米粒子,尤其是金纳米粒子(AuNPs),由于其独特的局部表面等离子体共振(LSPR)特性,金纳米颗粒非常适合高度传导定域在表面的化学或物理刺激产生的光信号,已被广泛应用于生物检测与成像。包括单细胞光谱分析与成像。基于光吸收和弹性光学方法散射,阐述了利用光谱方法进行的单细胞光学探测的进展应用和纳米系统表现出新的特性。论述了基于AuNPs的细胞内环境光谱分析与探测,对在单细胞水平上进行的细胞动态实时测量的基本原则和与光互动独特的相关方法进行了描述。重点放在单细胞光谱检测的原则、方法及这些方法的优点和挑战,并阐述了最近在这一领域的研究进展,内容包括细胞和亚细胞环境的探测、细胞应答诱导细胞凋亡过程探测、生物分子识别和量化、药物传递及释放、癌症诊断及治疗等。给出了未来的挑战和努力方向。     

Simultaneous low extinction and high local field enhancement in Ag nanocubes

We theoretically investigate surface plasmon resonance properties in Au and Ag cubic nanoparticles and find a novel plasmonic mode that exhibits simultaneous low extinction and high local field enhancement properties. We analyse this mode from different aspects by looking at the distribution patterns of local field intensity, energy flux, absorption and charge density. We find that in the mode the polarized charge is highly densified in a very limited volume around the corner of the nanocube and results in very strong local field enhancement. Perturbations of the incident energy flux and light absorption are also strongly localized in this small volume of the corner region, leading to both low absorption and low scattering cross section. As a result, the extinction is low for the mode. Metal nanoparticles involving such peculiar modes may be useful for constructing nonlinear compound materials with low linear absorption and high nonlinearity.     

CdSe/CdS核/壳型纳米晶的光谱特性

以巯基乙酸为稳定剂制备了CdSe/CdS核／壳型纳米晶。用光吸收谱（Abs)、光致发光谱（PL）及光致发光激发谱（PLE）研究了CdS壳层对CdSe纳米晶电子结构，从而对其吸收和发光性能的影响。根据PL和PLE的结果以及带边激子精细结构的计算结果，我们用尺寸很小的纳米晶中所形成的基激缔合物解释了PL光谱与吸收边之间较大的Stokes位移。     

Graphene in high magnetic fields

Carbon-based nano-materials, such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, represent a fascinating research area aiming at exploring their remarkable physical and electronic properties. These materials not only constitute a playground for physicists, they are also very promising for practical applications and are envisioned as elementary bricks of the future of the nano-electronics. As for graphene, its potential already lies in the domain of opto-electronics where its unique electronic and optical properties can be fully exploited. Indeed, recent technological advances have demonstrated its effectiveness in the fabrication of solar cells and ultra-fast lasers, as well as touch-screens and sensitive photo-detectors. Although the photo-voltaic technology is now dominated by silicon-based devices, the use of graphene could very well provide higher efficiency. However, before the applied research to take place, one must first demonstrates the operativeness of carbon-based nano-materials, and this is where the fundamental research comes into play. In this context, the use of magnetic field has been proven extremely useful for addressing their fundamental properties as it provides an external and adjustable parameter which drastically modifies their electronic band structure. In order to induce some significant changes, very high magnetic fields are required and can be provided using both DC and pulsed technology, depending of the experimental constraints. In this article, we review some of the challenging experiments on single nano-objects performed in high magnetic and low temperature. We shall mainly focus on the high-field magneto-optical and magneto-transport experiments which provided comprehensive understanding of the peculiar Landau level quantization of the Dirac-type charge carriers in graphene and thin graphite.     

ZnO and ZnS Nanostructures: Ultraviolet-Light Emitters,Lasers, and Sensors

ZnO and ZnS, well-known direct bandgap II–VI semiconductors, are promising materials for photonic, optical, and electronic devices. Nanostructured materials have lent a leading edge to the next generation technology due to their distinguished performance and efficiency for device fabrication. As two of the most suitable materials with size- and dimensionality-dependent functional properties, wide bandgap semiconducting ZnO and ZnS nanostructures have attracted particular attention in recent years. For example, both materials have been assembled into nanometer-scale visible-light-blind ultraviolet (UV) light sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity, in addition to other applications such as field emitters and lasers. Their high-performance characteristics are particularly due to the high surface-to-volume ratios (SVR) and rationally designed surfaces. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research activities in ZnO and ZnS nanostructures, including their syntheses and potential applications, with an emphasis on one-dimensional (1D) ZnO and ZnS nanostructure-based UV light emissions, lasers, and sensors. We begin with a survey of nanostructures, fundamental properties of ZnO and ZnS, and UV radiation–based applications. This is followed by detailed discussions on the recent progress of their synthesis, UV light emissions, lasers, and sensors. Additionally, developments of ZnS/ZnO composite nanostructures, including core/shell and heterostructures, are discussed and their novel optical properties are reviewed. Finally, we conclude this review with the perspectives and outlook on the future developments in this area. This review explores the possible influences of research breakthroughs of ZnO and ZnS nanostructures on the current and future applications for UV light–based lasers and sensors.     

飞秒激光与透明介质的相互作用

随着飞秒(1fs=1×10-15s)激光技术的不断成熟,飞秒激光器不但在实验室能产生小于10fs的光脉冲,啁啾放大后的飞秒光脉冲的聚焦峰值功率密度可达到1021W/cm2以上,而且飞秒激光系统已实现全固体、小型化结构,其稳定性和可靠性大大提高,因此在科学技术研究中的应用越来越广.文章重点介绍飞秒激光的主要特性和它与透明介质[如熔融石英、光学玻璃、对激光透明的高分子聚合物(PMMA)等]的相互作用过程,分析它们之间的非线性相互作用过程引起的材料特性或结构变化的物理机制和可能的应用,尤其在高密度大容量三维存储和微光子器件制造等方面的应用可能性.     

Enhanced Fluorescence Emission and Magnetic Alignment Control of Biphasic Functionalized Composite Janus Particles

Janus particles, particles that have two distinct aspects on their surface or interiors, have attracted much attention due to their potential for application. For the application of Janus particles to high‐resolution displays, and as light sources for optical circuits and fluorescent probes, the Janus particles should be nanosize to ensure high‐resolution display and analysis, responsive to external stimuli, and highly fluorescent. However, it is still a challenging issue to develop such highly fluorescent nanoscale Janus particles and control their alignment. Magnetoresponsive Janus particles, of which the orientation can be controlled by an external magnetic field, are prepared by the simple introduction of polymer‐coated magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) into the hemispheres of Janus particles. If these magnetoresponsive Janus particles can be combined with a strong fluorescence system, then they could be ideal candidates as components of the previously mentioned applications. In the present study, Janus particles are prepared with a fluorescent dye and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on one side. The optical properties of the resulting particles are assessed and discussed. Furthermore, the response of composite Janus particles containing dyes, Au NPs, and iron oxide NPs to an external magnetic field is discussed.