Effects of Plasmon–Exciton Interaction in the Spectra of Light Absorption by Hybrid Systems Consisting of Two- and Three-Layer Organometallic Nanoparticles

The effects of plasmon-exciton interaction on the spectra of light absorption by hybrid systems of two- and three-layer nanoparticles that consist of a metallic nucleus, the outer shells of ordered molecular dye J-aggregates, and an intermediate passive organic spacer between them is analyzed theoretically. It is established that the type of the absorption spectra and the efficiency of a near-field electromagnetic coupling between the particles in the system depends largely on the distance between the centers of concentric spheres and the direction of light polarization.     

Energy Exchange Dynamics and Relaxation of Excitations upon Strong Exciton–Plasmon Interaction in a Planar Nanostructure of Molecular J-Aggregates on a Metal Substrate

The kinetics of energy exchange between the plasmonic and excitonic subsystems in a “metal–dielectric–molecular layer” is studied for a planar composite nanostructure with a strong exciton–plasmon interaction. It is shown that the time dependence of the energy transfer between the components of the system has the character of damped oscillations, which depend on the prepared initial state, a number of relaxation parameters, the Rabi frequency, and the detuning from resonance.     

Absorption of Powerful Light by Free Electrons in Crystals: Intraband Electron–Phonon Rabi Oscillations

Optics and Spectroscopy - The absorption of high-power visible or near-IR laser radiation by free electrons is calculated using the modified resonance approximation. The probabilities Wexc of...     

An Analysis of the Optical Properties of Homogeneous Metal and Oxide Nanoparticles along with Double–Layer Nanoparticles with a Metal Core and an Oxide Shell Aimed at Improving the Efficiency of Absorption of Solar Radiation

Optics and Spectroscopy - Problems related to using nanoparticles for absorption of solar radiation and photothermal nanotechnologies are now being actively studied. The efficiency of using...     

Metal Nanoparticle–Microbe Interactions: Synthesis and Antimicrobial Effects

Metal nanoparticles (NPs), chalcogenides, and carbon quantum dots can be easily synthesized from whole microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) and cell-free sterile filtered spent medium. The particle size distribution and the biosynthesis time can be somewhat controlled through the biomass/metal solution ratio. The biosynthetic mechanism can be explained through the ion-reduction theory and UV photoconversion theory. Formation of biosynthetic NPs is part of the detoxification strategy employed by microorganisms, either in planktonic or biofilm form, to reduce the chemical toxicity of metal ions. In fact, most reports on NP biosynthesis show extracellular metal ion reduction. This is important for environmental and industrial applications, particularly in biofilms, as it allows in principle high biosynthetic rates. The antimicrobial and antifungal effect on biosynthetic NPs can be explained in terms of reactive oxygen species and can be enhanced by the capping agents attached to the NP during the biosynthesis process. Industrial applications of NP biosynthesis are still lagging, due to the difficulty of controlling NP size and low titer. Further, the environmental assessment of biosynthetic NPs has not yet been carried out. It is expected that further advancements in biosynthetic NP research will lead to applications, particularly in environmental biotechnology.     

Surfaces and Interfaces of Liquid Metal Core–Shell Nanoparticles under the Microscope

Eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn), a Ga-based liquid metal alloy holds great promise for designing next-generation core–shell nanoparticles (CSNs). A shearing-assisted ligand-stabilization method has shown promise as a synthetic method for these CSNs; however, determining the role of the ligand on stabilization demands an understanding of the surface chemistry of the ligand–nanoparticle interface. EGaIn CSNs are created and functionalized with aliphatic carboxylates of different chain length, allowing a fundamental investigation on ligand stabilization of EGaIn CSNs. Raman and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform spectroscopies (DRIFTS) confirm reaction of the ligand with the oxide shell of the EGaIn nanoparticles. Changing the length of the alkyl chain in the aliphatic carboxylates (C2–C18) may influence the size and structural stability of EGaIn CSNs, which is easily monitored using atomic force microscopy (AFM). No matter how large the carboxylate ligand, there is no obvious effect on the size of the EGaIn CSNs, except the particle size getting more uniform when coated with longer chain carboxylates. The AFM force–distance measurements are used to measure the stiffness of the carboxylate-coated EGaIn CSNs. In corroboration with DRIFTS analysis, the stiffness studies show that the alkyl chains undergo conformational changes upon compression.     

Scattering of an Acoustic Field by Refraction–Density Inhomogeneities with a Small Wave Size and Solution of the Problem of Direct Scattering in an Inhomogeneous Medium

The paper considers acoustic wave scattering by inhomogeneities with a small wave size using the Green’s function apparatus, which makes it possible universally to take into account both the refraction and density components of an inhomogeneity. Estimates for the multipole components of a field scattered by a nonresonance inhomogeneity are presented. For an inhomogeneity with small dimensions, it suffices to consider only monopole and dipole scattering. These conclusions are confirmed by an analysis of the field scattered by a circular cylinder with a small wave radius. The results are used to numerically simulate a Lippmann–Schwinger equation. The form of the discretized matrix Green’s function for identical values of the spatial arguments is presented. This makes it possible to take into account multiple scattering processes within a discretization element with a small wave size. Its use automatically fulfills the relations between the phase and amplitude of secondary acoustic field sources.     

Comparative Study of Polymer Nanoparticles on the Basis of Caprolactone–Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixtures with an Encapsulated Antitumor Preparation by Atomic Force Microscopy,X-Ray Diffraction,and Dynamic Light Scattering

Technical Physics - The morphology, structure, and optical properties of composites with biodegradable polymeric particles, which are based on poly-ε-caprolactone–polyvinyl alcohol...     

Negative Differential Resistance and Other Features of Spin-Dependent Electron Transport in Double-Barrier Hybrid Superconductor–Ferromagnetic Metal–Normal Metal Structures

Spin-dependent electronic transport is theoretically investigated for double-barrier hybrid structures S–IF–F–IF–N and S–IF–N–IF–N, where S is a superconductor; F and N are ferromagnetic and normal metals, respectively; and IF is the spin-active barrier. It is shown that in the case of strong superconducting proximity effect and sufficiently thin F layers, the differential resistance of such structures can become negative at some voltages, and the voltage dependence of the current can have an N-shaped form. Characteristic feature of the differential resistance is its asymmetric dependence on voltage, which is most clearly manifested at strong polarization of at least one of the barriers. The influence of impurity spin–orbit scattering processes in the N-layer located between the barriers is investigated. The study was carried out for the case of diffusion electron transport.     

Determination of Particle Size,Core and Shell Size Distributions of Core–Shell Particles by Analytical Ultracentrifugation

In core–shell nanoparticle analysis, the determination of size distributions of the different particle parts is often complicated, especially in liquid media. Density matching is introduced as a method for analyzing core–shell nanoparticles using Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC), making it possible to obtain the core size distribution in liquid dispersions. For this approach, the density of the dispersion is adjusted to the density of the shell. Oil filled nanocapsules are utilized with component densities of around 1 g mL⁻¹ to demonstrate this technique. The shell size distribution is calculated supposing the particle size distribution as a convolution of the shell- and core size distributions. Finally, the distributions of core size, shell thickness, particle size, and particle density and thus particle composition are obtained. To clarify the effect of swelling, AUC measurements are combined with further size characterization methods like Particle Tracking Microscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering.     

Five-Level Structural Hierarchy: Microfluidically Supported Synthesis of Core–Shell Microparticles Containing Nested Set of Dispersed Metal and Polymer Micro and Nanoparticles

This study presents the development of a hierarchical design concept for the synthesis of multi-scale polymer particles with up to five levels of organization. The synthesis of core–shell microparticles containing nested sets of dispersed metal and polymer micro- and nanoparticles is achieved through in situ photopolymerization using a double co-axial capillaries microfluidic device. The flow rates of the carrier, shell, and core phases are optimized to control particle size and result in stable core–shell particles with well-dispersed three-level composites in the shell matrix. The robustness and reversibility of these core–shell particles are demonstrated through five cycles of drying and re-swelling, showing that the size and structure of core–shell particles remain unchanged. Additionally, the permeability and mobility of dye molecules within the shell matrix are tested and showed that different molecular weight dyes have different penetration times. This study highlights the potential of microfluidics as a powerful tool for the controlled and precise synthesis of complex structured materials and demonstrates the versatility and potential of these core–shell particles for sensing applications as particle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).     

Fast Generation of 2N-Photon Fock States using Shortcuts to Adiabaticity and Ultrastrong Light–Matter Coupling

By using shortcuts to adiabatic (STA) method, the proposal is to implement a fast multi-photon down-conversion, which can rapidly create 2N photons from the quantum vacuum based on the counter-rotating effect of an ultrastrong light–matter coupling. The energy for the produced photons is given by a high-frequency pump field. The STA method is used to design the driving fields to induce a rapid population transfer. Such an accelerated evolution can restrain the influence of decoherence during the evolution, so as to generate Fock states from vacuum with high fidelities.     

Singular Diffusion as a Function of Nanoparticles Size in Antimony Film–Selenium Particles and Antimony Film–Tellurium Particles

A recently developed chemical synthesis method using the nanoparticle size as a parameter has been applied to Sb film–Se particle and Sb film–Te particle systems. In the Sb–Se system, the diffusion of Se atoms to the Sb film can be clearly seen for Se particle sizes less than 50 nm. Diffusion of Sb atoms predominantly took place in the case of the Sb–Te system. The uniqueness of the reaction consists in the diffusion direction of nanoparticles. Comparison with previous work (Kaito et al., 1998b) is made on the basis of the particle stability and electronegativity.     

Erratum to: “Emission and Absorption of Neutrinos by Nonrelativistic Neutrons”

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics -     

Study of PEO—PPO—PEO Copolymers Conformational Changes: Viscosity and Dynamic Light Scattering Measurements

The self-assembly behaviour of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly (ethylene oxide) copolymers, (EO)₁₃(PO)₃₀(EO)₁₃ (Pluronic L64), and (EO)₇₀ (PO)₃₀(EO)₇₀ (Pluronic F68) in water and in p-xylene has been elucidated by using viscosity and dynamic light scattering measurements to investigate the effects of hydrophilic chains length on their conformational changes. The viscosity measurements were performed for a range of temperature varying from 27°C to 60°C and concentration from 4 to 60 mg/ml. The variation of the viscosity and the conformational changes in aqueous solution depends on the kinds of interactions and the balance between excluded volume effects and hydrophobic interactions. Some dynamic light scattering measurements were also performed at room temperature for the same range of concentration to provide more information on the micellar structures in aqueous and organic solution.     

Facile Synthesis and Size Control of 2D Cyclodextrin-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks Nanosheet for Topical Drug Delivery

In this work, a 2D nanosheet (NS) of γ-cyclodextrin (CD)-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is synthesized through a facile green chemistry approach. NS-MOF carrier is constructed using a water system in a simple one-pot reaction involving CD and potassium carbonate. Particle size optimization is achieved by adjusting the reaction temperature and the introduction of crystal growth suppressor (appropriate proportion of acetone). The NS-MOF stability in aqueous medium is improved by polymerization reaction of crosslinked CD-MOF (CL-CD-MOF) without blocking its cavity for drug loading. The effects of particle geometry and size of nanoporous materials on their pharmacokinetics during drug delivery are compared between the sheet-like DXM@CL-NS-MOF and 3D-cubic-shaped DXM@CL-CD-MOF loaded with the same quantity of dexamethasone (DXM). The bioefficiency of these carriers in tear fluids and aqueous humors to deliver DXM is investigated in vivo. The results demonstrate that the 2D-nanosheet particles significantly improve precorneal residence time and intraocular bioavailability over the commercial Maxidex (0.1% dexamethasone) and its 3D-cubes counterpart of similar chemical composition. It suggests that the geometry of a carrier play a significant role in the biodistribution, and the carrier of CL-NS-MOF is a good candidate for ocular drug delivery.     

Synthesis and Characterization of New Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Nanosilica Fillers Prepared by Sol–Gel Reaction

In light of the success of making multicomponent sol–gel glasses, in this study the synthesis of new hybrid nanosilicas with controlled hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties was carried out by incorporating organic based species with appropriate functional groups to inorganic based alkoxides by co-condensation reaction. Furthermore, in this study the acidity and the water content during reaction synthesis was proven to be critical in controlling the structure of the hybrid nanosilicas. These nanosilicas with different hydrophobicity were obtained by using TEOS (tetraethylorthosilicate) and 10 wt% two organic modifiers (tris-hydroxymethylaminomethane — TRIS — and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane-HDMS). The average diameter of the nano-particles ranged between 7 and 10 nm. The addition of the organic modifiers changed the pH of the hybrid nanosilicas, to a different extent depending on the nature of the organic modifier. The hydrophobicity in the hybrid nanosilicas estimated from pH measurements in water and ethanol, and from IR spectroscopy, can be tailored by incorporating different organic modifiers on the network during synthesis. Finally, the measurement of pH of the hybrid nanosilicas by using solvents with different polarity/acidity was a simple and efficient method of assessing the hydrophobicity of the nanosilicas.     

Light–matter interaction of 2D materials:Physics and device applications

In the last decade, the rise of two-dimensional(2D) materials has attracted a tremendous amount of interest for the entire field of photonics and opto-electronics. The mechanism of light–matter interaction in 2D materials challenges the knowledge of materials physics, which drives the rapid development of materials synthesis and device applications. 2D materials coupled with plasmonic effects show impressive optical characteristics, involving efficient charge transfer, plasmonic hot electrons doping, enhanced light-emitting, and ultrasensitive photodetection. Here, we briefly review the recent remarkable progress of 2D materials, mainly on graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, focusing on their tunable optical properties and improved opto-electronic devices with plasmonic effects. The mechanism of plasmon enhanced light–matter interaction in 2D materials is elaborated in detail, and the state-of-the-art of device applications is comprehensively described. In the future, the field of 2D materials holds great promise as an important platform for materials science and opto-electronic engineering, enabling an emerging interdisciplinary research field spanning from clean energy to information technology.     

xF (or y)-Dependence of Nuclear Absorption and Energy Loss Effects onJ/ψ Production

By means of the nuclear parton distribution studied only with lepton deep-inelastic scattering experimental data, the J/ψ ``normal nuclear absorption' and energy loss effects are studied in a Glauber formalism at HERA and RHIC energies. Assuming that the absorption cross section σ_abs increases with thecharmonium-nucleon center of mass energy, the results reveal a significant dependence of the σ_abs on rapidity y at RHIC energies. The initial-state energy loss effect, which is found important only at HERA energies, is also considered, and its influence should be eliminated when we studied the absorption effect at low collision energies. Finally, we also present the theoretical prediction for LHC.