Controlled plasmon-enhanced fluorescence by spherical microcavity

A surrounding electromagnetic environment can engineer spontaneous emissions from quantum emitters through the Purcell effect. For instance, a plasmonic antenna can efficiently confine an electromagnetic field and enhance the fluorescent process. In this study, we demonstrate that a photonic microcavity can modulate plasmon-enhanced fluorescence by engineering the local electromagnetic environment. Consequently, we constructed a plasmon-enhanced emitter (PE-emitter), which comprised a nanorod and a nanodiamond, using the nanomanipulation technique. Furthermore, we controlled a polystyrene sphere approaching the PE-emitter and investigated in situ the associated fluorescent spectrum and lifetime. The emission of PE-emitter can be enhanced resonantly at the photonic modes as compared to that within the free spectral range. The spectral shape modulated by photonic modes is independent of the separation between the PS sphere and PE-emitter. The band integral of the fluorescence decay rate can be enhanced or suppressed after the PS sphere couples to the PE-emitters, depending on the coupling strength between the plasmonic antenna and the photonic cavity. These findings can be utilized in sensing and imaging applications.     

Plasmonic effects and the morphology changes on the active material P3HT:PCBM used in polymer solar cells using Raman spectroscopy

There is no consensus yet that the enhancement effects of plasmonic device are predominantly caused by plasmonic effects or induced morphology changes in the optoelectronic `materials. Herein, we present a detailed Raman characterization of a typical organic P3HT:PCBM system comprising silver nanowires (Ag NWs) with different size, which can simultaneously study the plasmonic effects and the morphology changes. The direct comparison of the Raman spectra of non‐annealed and annealed samples indicates that the morphology of plasmonic samples has changed before annealing and the morphology of plasmonic samples and reference sample after annealing is not distinguishable. This indicates that the interaction between P3HT and Ag NWs with different size can be explained by plasmonic effects after annealing. Moreover, in‐situ Raman spectroscopy is used to study the morphology changes in plasmonic samples with different diameters of Ag NWs during heating process. This method can distinguish the plasmonic effects and morphology changes of plasmonic device. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanowire plasmonic waveguides,circuits and devices

As typical one‐dimensional nanostructures for waveguiding tightly confined optical fields beyond the diffraction limit, metal nanowires have been used as versatile nanoscale building blocks for functional plasmonic and photonic structures and devices. Metal nanowires, especially those fabricated by bottom‐up synthesis such as Ag and Au nanowires, usually exhibit excellent diameter uniformity and surface smoothness with diameters down to tens of nanometers, which offers great opportunities for plasmonic waveguiding of optical fields with deep‐subwavelength confinement, coherence maintenance and low scattering losses. Based on nanowire plasmonic waveguides, a variety of applications ranging from plasmonic couplers, interferometers, resonators to photon emitters have been reported in recent years. In this article, significant progresses in these nanowire plasmonic waveguides, circuits and devices are reviewed. Future outlook and challenges are also discussed.     

空芯光波导在光谱气敏检测中的应用

空芯光波导(HWG)用于光谱气体检测中,既可以实现光路的传输,又可以充当气体样品池实现长光程高灵敏度测量,具有体积小,响应时间快、成本低、光路稳定灵活等优点。介绍了基于镀银/碘化银的空芯光波导(Ag/AgI-HWG)、光子带隙空芯光波导(PBG-HWG)和基片集成空芯光波导(iHWG)等类型的空芯光波导,并总结了近年来空芯光波导在光谱气敏检测中的研究及进展,梳理了其应用方式及应用领域。研究表明,空芯光波导替代传统的气体池与傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、激光吸收光谱和拉曼光谱等不同的光谱技术结合已取得一系列成果,且已经应用于环境监测、呼气诊断和工业过程检测和控制等领域。其中,基于中红外激光吸收光谱的空芯光波导传感器组成相对简单,成本较低,与各类光波导的兼容性和环境适应性较强,发展前景较好。总之,随着激光技术、光波导技术和光谱技术的发展,基于空芯光波导的光谱气体检测正在迅速发展,并逐步由实验室走向现场应用。     

基于气相沉积等离激元纳米粒子/三维石墨烯-镍泡沫复合结构的高灵敏度表面增强拉曼检测

本文提出一种基于气相沉积银纳米粒子和三维石墨烯-镍泡沫的复合等离激元结构.该结构是利用气相纳米团簇束流技术将高密度的银纳米粒子直接沉积于三维石墨烯-镍泡沫的表面制备而成.与传统银纳米结构相比,复合三维等离激元纳米结构具有"热点"数量多,局域场更强的特点,可作为基于表面增强拉曼技术的高灵敏度化学传感器.拉曼测试实验结果表明,该三维纳米结构在表面增强拉曼检测中可获得灵敏度高,重复性好的探针拉曼信号.通过进一步的理论模拟,发现该三维等离激元结构中增强的拉曼信号主要归因于纳米粒子与纳米粒子之间以及纳米粒子与石墨烯-镍泡沫衬底之间的多重近场耦合效应.     

Ultrathin silver‐coated gold nanoparticles as suitable substrate for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an extremely powerful tool for the analysis of the composition of bimetallic nanoparticle (BNP) surfaces because of the different adsorption schemes adopted by several molecules on different metals, such as Au and Ag. The preparation of BNPs normally implies a change in the plasmonic properties of the core metal. However, for technological applications it could be interesting to synthesize core–shell structures preserving these original plasmonic properties. In this work, we present a facile method for coating colloidal gold nanoparticles (NPs) in solution with a very thin shell of silver. The resulting bimetallic Au@Ag system maintains the optical properties of gold but shows the chemical surface affinity of silver. The effectiveness of the coating method, as well as the progressive silver enrichment of the outermost part of the Au NPs, has been monitored through the SERS spectra of several species (chloride, luteolin, thiophenol and lucigenin), which show different behaviors on gold and silver surfaces. A growth mechanism of the Ag shell is proposed on the basis of the spectroscopic and microscopic data consisting in the formation and deposit of Ag clusters on the Au NP surface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent Advances of Light Propagation in Surface Plasmon Enhanced Quantum Dot Devices

Surface plasmons are of particular interest recently as their performance is approaching the enhancement of light emission efficiencies, after synthesized close to the vicinity of solid state materials, i.e., semiconductor structure. As other scientific works have been proposed to improve the light-emitting efficiency, such as the use of resonant cavities, photon recycling, and thin-light emitting layers with periodic surface texturing, surface plasmon possesses a promising way to the light enhancement, due to the energy coupling effect between the emitted photons from the semiconductor and the metallic nanoparticles fabricated by nanotechnology. The usual pathway of plasmon enhanced light emitting devices is the use of Ag/Au nanoparticles coating the surface of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) or quantum well (QW) structures. However, apart from efforts to extract as much light as possible from single-driven surface plasmon-QD/QW, it is possible to enhance the light emission rate with double optical-excitations. This approach is based on the quantum interference between the external lasers and the localized quantum light, and promised to stimulate the development of plasmon-enhanced optical sensors. In this review, we describe the quantum properties of light propagation in hybrid nanoparticle and semiconductor materials, i.e., quantum dot or nanomechanical resonator coupled to Ag/Au nanoparticles, driven by two optical fields. Distinct with single excitation, plasmon-assisted complex driven by two optical fields, exhibit specific quantum interference characteristics that can be used as sensitive all-optical devices, such as the slow light switch, nonlinear optical Kerr modulator, and ultra-sensitive mass sensing. We summarize the recent advances of light propagation in surface plasmon-enhanced quantum dot devices, driven by two optical fields, which would stimulate the development of novel optical materials, deeper theoretical insights, innovative new devices, and plasmonic applications with potential for significant technological and societal impact.     

Self-assembly 2D plasmonic nanorice film for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

As an ultrasensitive sensing technology, the application of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is one interesting topic of nano-optics, which has huge application prospectives in plenty of research fields. In recent years, the bottleneck in SERS application could be the fabrication of SERS substrate with excellent enhancement. In this work, a two-dimensional (2D) Ag nanorice film is fabricated by self-assembly method as a SERS substrate. The collected SERS spectra of various molecules on this 2D plasmonic film demonstrate quantitative detection could be performed on this SERS substrate. The experiment data also demonstrate this 2D plasmonic film consisted of anisotropic nanostructures has no obvious SERS polarization dependence. The simulated electric field distribution points out the SERS enhancement comes from the surface plasmon coupling between nanorices. And the SERS signals is dominated by molecules adsorbed at different regions of nanorice surface at various wavelengths, which could be a good near IR SERS substrate for bioanalysis. Our work not only enlarges the surface plasmon properties of metal nanostructure, but also exhibits the good application prospect in SERS related fields.     

Two‐Dimensionally Ordered Plasmonic and Magnetic Nanostructures on Transferable Electron‐Transparent Substrates

Discovery of new plasmonic behaviors from nanostructured materials can be greatly accelerated by the ability to prepare and characterize their near‐field behaviors with high resolution in a rapid manner. Here, an efficient and cost‐effective way is reported to make 2D periodic nanostructures on electron‐transparent substrates for rapid characterization by transmission electron microscopy. By combining nanosphere lithography with a substrate float‐off technique, large areas of electron‐transparent periodic nanostructures can be achieved. For this study, the synthesis of plasmonic nanostructures of Ag, magnetic nanostructures of Co, and bimetallic nanostructures of Ag–Co are investigated. Characterization of the materials by a combination of transmission electron microscopy, far‐field optical spectroscopy, and magnetization measurements reveals that this new approach can yield useful nanostructures on transparent, flexible, and transferable substrates with desirable plasmonic and/or magnetic properties.     

Excitation of a nanowire "molecule" in gold-filled photonic crystal fiber

A pair of gold nanowires, incorporated into a photonic crystal fiber, acts as a plasmonic "molecule." Hybridized modes are excited at specific wavelengths by launching light into the glass core. The formation of bonding and antibonding solutions results in a modal splitting of more than 100 nm, even though the spatial separation between the wires is larger than 3 μm. The study provides insight into multiwire plasmonic devices with applications as polarizers or filters in near-field optics, nonlinear plasmonics, optical sensing, and telecommunications.     

Manipulation of light at the nanoscale for high-performance spectroscopic and optical applications

In this paper, we explore the use of nanostructures for a number of fascinating applications. These applications based on nanostructures include (1) optical sensors, (2) nanopixel printing, (3) improving the resolution of imaging techniques, and (4) lithography. In the sensing field, nanostructures are exploited for advanced sensor performance, namely, the label-free and enhanced sensitivity of (1) the surface plasmon resonance sensor and (2) the extraordinary optical transmission sensor and (3) the high sensitivity and selectivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. In addition, research using nanostructures for visual applications was introduced for (1) harnessing nanostructures for full-color pixel printing and (2) exploiting metallic nanostructures to enhance the imaging resolution under diffraction limits based on the plasmonic effect. Finally, we introduce low cost, high accuracy, and fast lithographic methods based on the plasmonic effect by exploiting metallic nanostructures.     

Gap plasmon modes resolved by ultraflat nanogap and linear polarization in terrace-stepped hexagonal boron nitride spacer sandwiched by Ag nanowire and metal substrates

We investigate the nanogap and polarization-resolved excitation of gap plasmon modes using terrace-stepped hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) sandwiched between Ag nanowires and Au substrates for a metal–insulator–metal gap structure. The gap plasmon modes in the proposed hybrid structure are dominantly excited by a P-polarized incident light, which is supported by full-wave numerical simulations. Plasmon mode evolution for various hBN spacer thicknesses ranging from 5 to 90 nm shows that optical signals acquired via unpolarized dark-field mapping spectroscopy are primarily due to the optical scattering of the P-polarized incident light. Moreover, this plasmonic mode changes significantly from gap plasmon mode to Fabry–Perot-type resonance in a hBN thickness of 50–90 nm. Our analysis reveals that the proposed hybrid structure based on Ag nanowires and stepped hBN provides a well-defined gap thickness and is a robust platform for analyzing gap plasmon modes.     

Au-Nanoparticle-Array/Aligned-Ag-Nanowire-Based Flexible Dual Plasmonic Substrate for Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection

The fabrication of flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for sensitive detection on uneven or irregular surfaces is challenging. In this study, a flexible dual plasmonic SERS (FDPS) substrate rationally constructed using Au nanoparticle (AuNP) arrays/aligned Ag nanowires (AgNWs) and elastic polyurethane (PU) is demonstrated. It exhibits high sensitivity (detection limit of 10⁻⁸ m for melamine and 10⁻¹⁰ m for malachite green) and excellent reproducibility. The well-designed structure of AuNP arrays/aligned AgNWs fabricated using block copolymer self-assembly and oil–water–air interfacial self-assembly successfully enhances the electromagnetic field through plasmonic coupling. In addition, the FDPS substrate retains a high SERS sensitivity after exposure to air at room temperature for 30 days because of the high stability of AuNP arrays and antioxidation characteristic of the PU covered on the aligned AgNWs. Even after undergoing stretching, bending, and twisting for 100 cycles, the FDPS substrate maintains a stable SERS activity owing to the introduction of the elastic PU. This study demonstrates a potential application of SERS detection under practical conditions for irregular surfaces and may be helpful in the development of flexible sensors.     

Synthesis and functionalization study of hierarchical ZnO nanowires for potential nitroaromatic sensing applications

In this work, we synthesize hierarchical ZnO nanowires in a customized atmospheric CVD furnace and investigate their surface modification behavior for prospective nitroaromatic sensing applications. The morphology and crystal structure of pristine nanowires are characterized through FE-SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction and EDAX studies. Photoluminescence behavior of pristine nanowires is also reported. Surface modification behavior of synthesized nanowires on a ZnO–oleic acid system is studied by utilizing Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. Based on these findings, 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) has been identified as an appropriate fluorescent receptor for sensing p-nitrophenol. Fluorescence quenching experiments on a PBA–p-nitrophenol system are reported and a detection limit of up to 28 ppb is envisaged for PBA-grafted ZnO nanowire-based optical sensor.     

Tunable Fano resonances in heterogenous Al–Ag nanorod dimers

We theoretically investigate the plasmonic coupling in heterogenous Al–Ag nanorod dimers. A pronounced Fano dip is found in the extinction spectrum produced by the destructive interference between the bright dipole mode from a short Al nanorod and the dark quadrupole mode from a long Ag nanorod nearby. This Fano resonance can be widely tuned in both wavelength and amplitude by varying the rod dimensions and end geometry, the separation distance and the local dielectric environment. The Al–Ag heterogeneous nanorod dimer shows a high sensitivity to the surrounding environment with a local surface plasmon resonance figure of merit of 7.0, which enables its promising applications in plasmonic sensing and detection.     

Generation of nanosize 3D dark spots with a light shell by plasmonic conical probe with metallic nano-rod

Nanosize three-dimensional (3D) dark spots with a light shell in enhanced local optical fields generated by a plasmonic metal-coated conical dielectric probe with a nano-rod are investigated numerically. The 3D dark spots are due to interference among plasmon-enhanced local fields. It is found that two kinds of 3D dark spots are generated in the free space in the vicinity of the nano-rod. One is generated near the rod end and has a disk shape. The other is generated around the nano-rod and has a toroidal shape. Both kinds of 3D dark spots have nanoscale dimensions, because they are generated by interference between near fields.     

弯曲银/银同质结纳米线的合成及其SERS表征

用液相法合成弯曲的银/银(Ag/Ag)同质结纳米线, 即由Ag/Ag同质结和Ag纳米棒组成。同质结相邻的两个Ag纳米棒以一定的角度形成弯曲的Ag纳米线, 其角度可能是锐角, 也可能是钝角, 而且其长度可达几个微米。研究发现, 反应温度对弯曲Ag/Ag同质结纳米线的形成具有非常重要的作用, 改变反应温度, 得到的是其它形状的纳米粒子; 同时, 表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)表征发现, 与Ag纳米球和纳米线相比, 弯曲Ag/Ag同质结纳米线具有更好的SERS活性。     

Plasmonic characteristics of suspended graphene-coated wedge porous silicon nanowires with Ag partition

We investigate a graphene-coated nanowire waveguide(GCNW) composed of two suspended wedge porous silicon nanowires and a thin Ag partition. The plasmonic characteristics of the proposed structure in terahertz(THz) frequency band are simulated by the finite element method(FEM). The parameters including the gap between the nanowires and Ag partition, the height of the nanowire, the thickness of the Ag partition, and the Fermi level of graphene, are optimized. The simulation results show that a normalized mode field area of ~10-4 and a figure of merit of ~100 can be achieved. Compared with the cylindrical GCNW and isolated GCNW, the proposed wedge GCNW has good electric field enhancement.A waveguide sensitivity of 32.28 is obtained, which indicates the prospects of application in refractive index(RI) sensing in THz frequency band. Due to the adjustable plasmonic characteristics by changing the Fermi level(EF), the proposed structure has promising applications in the electro-optic modulations, optical interconnects, and optical switches.     

Locally enhanced light–matter interaction of MoS2 monolayers at density-controllable nanogrooves of template-stripped Ag films

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers, such as MoS_2, possess a direct optical bandgap are useful for emerging ultrathin optoelectronics in the visible light range, whereas their thin thickness limits light absorption and emission properties. To address this drawback, one promising approach is to hybridize plasmonic nanostructures with monolayer TMDs to utilize local field enhancement effects owing to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Herein, we propose a strong enhancement of the local light–matter interaction in MoS₂ monolayers on naturally generated nanoscale grooves. The nanogrooves are formed at grain boundaries (GBs) of template-stripped metal film substrates that are fabricated by mechanically stripping Ag films deposited on an ultra-flat Si substrate, wherein the nanogroove densities are systematically modulated by the Ag film thickness. We observe an effective photoluminescence enhancement factor of 758 and a Raman spectroscopy intensity enhancement of approximately 5 times in MoS₂ on the subwavelength-scale nanogrooves, compared with that on grain planes, which is attributed to a strong local field enhancement of the LSPR effect. Moreover, this plasmonic enhancement effect is elucidated by dark-field scattering spectroscopy and optical simulations. Our results can facilitate the utilization of density-controllable plasmonic nanogrooves synthesized without nanopatterning techniques for plasmonic hybrids on 2D semiconductors.     

Present and future applications of magnetic nanostructures grown by FEBID

Currently, magnetic nanostructures are routinely grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). In the present article, we review the milestones produced in the topic in the past as well as the future applications of this technology. Regarding past milestones, we highlight the achievement of high-purity cobalt and iron deposits, the high lateral resolution obtained, the growth of 3D magnetic deposits, the exploration of magnetic alloys and the application of magnetic deposits for Hall sensing and in domain-wall conduit and magnetologic devices. With respect to future perspectives of the topic, we emphasize the potential role of magnetic nanostructures grown by FEBID for applications related to highly integrated 2D arrays, 3D nanowires devices, fabrication of advanced scanning-probe systems, basic studies of magnetic structures and their dynamics, small sensors (including biosensors) and new applications brought by magnetic alloys and even exchange biased systems.