Spicules of glass sponges as a new type of self-organizing natural photonic crystal

The results of studying the optical characteristics of basal spicules of sea glass sponges Hyalonema sieboldi are presented. These objects are shown to be a natural nanocomposite biomaterial and to consist of a large number of axial layers of hydrated quartz that possesses a number of unique optical properties. It is found that, upon the excitation of spicules by second-harmonic pulses from an Nd:YAG laser, a considerable increase in the fluorescence intensity in the long-wavelength range with a maximum at 770 nm, saturation and anomalously large fluorescence lifetimes are observed. It has been shown experimentally that spicules exposed to femtosecond radiation pulses exhibit nonlinear optical properties. Based on the data obtained, it is concluded that spicules of glass sponges are a new type of self-organizing natural photonic crystals and are a promising object for photonics.     

Three-dimensional periodic lattice of ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocrystals in transparent silica matrix

The conditions for synthesizing an opal-zirconia-carbon nanocomposite in the form of monolithic (without pores) transparent silica with an ordered distribution of nanocrystals throughout the sample have been determined. Zirconia nanocrystals form a three-dimensional periodic lattice of nanoclusters with sizes ranging from several nanometers to several tens of nanometers. This nanocomposite exhibits properties typical of photonic crystals. The samples have been studied using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and Raman scattering. The structural state and spatial arrangement of zirconia nanocrystals and carbon clusters in the nanocomposite have been elucidated. Optical transmission and optical reflection photoluminescence spectra of the nanocomposites have been measured.     

Optical and nonlinear optical properties of copper nanocomposite glasses annealed near the glass softening temperature

Copper nanocomposite glasses have been prepared by the ion-exchange method, and annealed at different temperatures up to and above the glass softening temperature. The absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, and nonlinear optical transmission of the samples at 532 nm for nanosecond laser pulses, have been investigated. The optical and nonlinear optical properties of the glasses are found to be distinctly different below and above the glass softening temperature. For instance, thermal annealing up to the glass softening temperature makes the samples behave like saturable absorbers, while annealing at higher temperatures makes them behave like optical limiters. Such flexibility in controlling the optical nonlinearity in these materials makes them potential candidates for photonic applications.     

Effects of the ZnSe concentration on the structural and optical properties of ZnSe/PVA nanocomposite thin film

This study investigated the effects of ZnSe nanoparticles (NPs) on the structural and (linear and nonlinear) optical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin film. Three samples of ZnSe NP-doped PVA thin films with different concentrations of ZnSe were produced on a glass substrate. The ZnSe NPs were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of the ZnSe bulk target immersed in distilled water using a 1064 nm wavelength and a high frequency pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The optical bandgap energies of the films were extracted from their UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra. The corresponding energy bandgaps of the nanocomposite films declined as the ZnSe NPs doping concentration increased. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to characterize the crystalline phases of the ZnSe/PVA nanocomposite films. The concentration-dependent nonlinear optical absorption and nonlinear refraction behaviors of the films after exposure to 532-nm nanosecond laser pulses were investigated using the Z-scan technique. The nonlinear absorption response of the films was positive when measured using an open aperture scheme, which was attributed to the two-photon absorption mechanism. In addition, the nonlinear refraction indices had a negative value and they increased as the concentration of ZnSe NPs in the films increased.     

四取代4-异丙苯基苯氧基酞菁铅复合凝胶玻璃的结构及光限幅性能研究

采用溶胶-凝胶(Sol-gel)湿化学工艺将四取代4-异丙苯基苯氧基酞菁铅PbPc(CP)₄掺入二氧化硅(SiO₂)凝胶玻璃基质,制备均匀掺杂的PbPc(CP)₄复合凝胶玻璃,并通过紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱和透射电镜(TEM)图像对PbPc(CP)₄在复合凝胶玻璃中的存在状态及结构进行了表征。对PbPc(CP)₄在液相体系和固相体系中的光限幅性能分别进行了测试及对比研究。结果表明PbPc(CP)₄以团簇形式存在于复合凝胶玻璃中,并由于钢性结构固相基质的保护作用使其在复合凝胶玻璃相对于液相体系中表现出较强的光限幅特性。     

Nonlinear ellipse rotation of high energy femtosecond optical pulses for pulse contrast enhancement

An argon filled hollow fiber with metal coating on the inner glass surface has been used for nonlinear ellipse rotation of femtosecond optical pulses at 800 nm. Pulse contrast can be achieved using this waveguide with higher transmission compared with a fused silica waveguide.     

Structural and optical modifications in gamma-irradiated polyimide/silica nanocomposite

The structural and optical properties of thin films of polyimide composites with nanosilica particle content of 15?wt%, prepared via sol–gel process, were studied as a function of the gamma dose. The resultant effect of gamma irradiation on the properties of polyimide/silica nanocomposite has been investigated using X-ray diffraction and UV spectroscopy. Absorption and reflectance spectra were collected by a spectrophotometer giving UV-radiation of wavelength range 200–800?nm. The optical data obtained were analyzed and the calculated values of the optical energy gap exhibited gamma dose dependence. The direct optical energy gap for the nonirradiated polyimide/silica nanocomposite is about 2.41?eV, and increases to a value of 2.65?eV when irradiated with gamma doses up to 300?kGy. It was found that the calculated refractive index of the polyamide/silica increases with the gamma dose in the range 50–300?kGy.     

Ionization spectrum broadening and frequency blue-shift of high-intensity femtosecond laser pulses in gas-filled capillary tubes

. We report on the experimental and theoretical study of spectrum transformation and frequency blue-shift of femtosecond laser pulses with intensities up to 2×10¹⁶ W/cm², propagating in glass capillary tubes under gas ionization. Monomode optical guiding with 45% transmission efficiency is demonstrated in a 100-μm-diameter, 20-cm length capillary. A broadening of the initial spectrum as much as several initial spectrum widths is achieved. Besides the broadening, the mean frequency of the output radiation in the spectrum experiences a blue-shift of up to several initial spectrum widths, caused by the non-stationary, non-linear process of gas ionization. Our numerical simulations, in the form of a simple one-dimensional model for the propagation of intense laser pulses in gas-filled capillaries, are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental results. These simulations show the possibility of significant compression of an output pulse in a simple compression scheme (e.g. a piece of silica glass with normal dispersion), which is very important for obtaining laser pulses with few optical cycles at the millijoule energy level. Received: 25 September 2001 / Revised version: 6 December 2001 / Published online: 25 September 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +7-8312/363-792, E-mail: dekart@ufp.appl.sci-nnov.ru     

热透镜技术中反射和透射两种探测方式的比较分析

热透镜技术按照测量方式的不同可以分为反射式和透射式两种。这两种方式的灵敏度强烈地依赖于样品的热物理性质,对于不同的样品,选择合适的测量构型尤为重要。采用高斯激光束作为加热光源,分别从理论和实验上比较分析了模式不匹配的反射式和透射式两种热透镜探测构型在测量以BK7玻璃和石英为基底的高反射光学薄膜弱吸收中的应用,结果表明,对以BK7玻璃为基底的样品,采用反射式探测构型具有较高的灵敏度,而对以石英为基底的样品而言,采用透射式探测构型则具有更高的灵敏度,为实际光学薄膜吸收损耗测试灵敏度的提高提供了理论和实验依据。     

相变前后VO2薄膜光学性质的研究

测量了玻璃、熔融石英及蓝宝石衬底上VO2 薄膜变温过程的红外透过率谱 ,对样品相变前后的光学性质进行了研究。特定温度下VO2 薄膜发生相变 ,其光学性质随之发生突变。不同衬底、不同制作工艺影响相变发生的温度以及相变前后光学性质的变化量。蓝宝石衬底上磁控溅射所得的VO2 膜 5 μm处透过率的减小量ΔT为 70 % ,相对变化ΔT TRT为 94 % ,玻璃衬底上磁控溅射所得的VO2 膜 2 5 μm处ΔT =6 4 2 % ,而ΔT TRT高达 98% ,接近于 1。     

Properties and Preparation of Chitosan/Silanol Quaternary Ammonium Modified Silica Hybrids Using Sol–Gel Process

Chitosan/modified silica nanocomposites, with a sol–gel process being used to prepare a silanol quaternary ammonium modified silica possessing antimicrobial activity, were investigated, as well as the thermal properties, morphology, optical, mechanical, antimicrobial, and adsorption properties of this type of nanocomposite. Grafting of the modifier onto nanosilica was confirmed through the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the chitosan structure was not disrupted from the incorporation of the modified silica. Fracture surfaces with no clear micro-phase separation were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which indicated the good interaction of chitosan and the modified silica. The organic modifier tended to cause the aggregation of the modified silica at higher content on a submicron scale based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, which might be due to a decrease of the stability factor originating from the negative charges on silica. With the introduction of modified silica, the optical transmittance decreased at higher organic modifier content in agreement with TEM analysis. The elongation at break remained largely unchanged, but tensile strength and Young's moduli deteriorated in modified silica filled systems in comparison with pure silica filled systems. The introduction of the organic modified silica gave a higher antibacterial activity. All nanocomposites were capable of chelating Cu (II) as well as Fe (III) at a different degree. Thus, the prepared chitosan/modified silica nanocomposites exhibited both antimicrobial and chelating properties.     

Laser annealing of silica glass with ion-synthesized copper nanoparticles

The action of KrF excimer laser radiation on the composite material consisting of the silica glass with copper nanoparticles is investigated as a function of the number of nanosecond laser pulses. Metal nanoparticles are synthesized by ion implantation. It is established using optical reflectance measurements of composite layers that, at the initial stage, the irradiation leads to the fragmentation of the largest nanoparticles. Then, after irradiation by several pulses, the particles become larger due to the heating of the glass. The laser treatment for a longer time (several tens and hundreds of pulses) results in the dissociation of nanoparticles into small clusters and individual atoms. The mechanisms responsible for the modification of the composite material under high-power laser radiation are discussed.     

Atomic dynamics of tin nanoparticles embedded into porous glass

The method of resonant nuclear inelastic absorption of synchrotron radiation has been used to study the phonon spectrum for tin nanoparticles (with a natural isotope mixture) embedded into a porous glassy (silica) matrix with an average pore diameter of 7 nm in comparison to the analogous spectrum of bulk tin enriched with ¹¹⁹Sn isotope. Differences between the spectra have been observed, which are related to both the dimensional effects and specific structural features of the porous glass-tin nanocomposite. Peculiarities in the dynamics of tin atoms embedded into nanopores of glass are interpreted in terms of a qualitative model of the nanocomposite structure.     

Laser annealing of dielectrics with metal nanoparticles

The effect of nanosecond excimer laser pulses on a composite layer of sodium-calcium silicate glass with silver nanoparticles has been investigated. Nanoparticles were synthesized by ion implantation. Based on measuring the optical absorption and reflection spectra of the composite layers, it is found that an increase in the number of laser pulses leads to a monotonic decrease in the size of silver nanoparticles. However, laser irradiation with a longer duration leads to the growth of nanoparticles with their subsequent destruction. The effects observed are discussed in terms of heating a glass composite layer as a result of the effective absorption of laser radiation.     

Femtosecond pulse propagation and optical solitons in semiconductor-doped glass waveguides in the vicinity of a two-photon resonance

The propagation of ultrashort optical pulses in semiconductor-doped glass waveguides is investigated theoretically for wavelengths below the half bandgap. The linear and non-linear properties of the composites are obtained and a field equation for pulse propagation is derived. This equation yields a new family of sub-picosecond optical solitons which are observed in numerical simulations. Interesting applications are anticipated for ultrafast all-optical signal processing. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and the properties of vanadium dioxide nanocrystals in porous silicate glasses

Vanadium dioxide nanoparticles were synthesized in nanoporous silicate glasses with pore sizes of 7 and 17 nm. The temperature dependences of the optical and electrical properties of the composite obtained were studied near the temperature of the semiconductor-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide. The non-linear optical response of the nanoparticles to picosecond laser pulses was studied in the visible and near-infrared ranges.     

Natural rubber nanocomposites using polystyrene-encapsulated nanosilica prepared by differential microemulsion polymerization

In this study, nanocomposites of natural rubber (NR) and polystyrene (PS)-encapsulated nanosilica were prepared by latex compounding method. The nanolatex of PS-encapsulated silica was synthesized via in situ differential microemulsion polymerization. The resulted hybrid nanoparticles showed core-shell morphology with an average diameter of 40 nm. The silica hybrid nanoparticles were subsequently used as filler for the NR nanocomposite. The properties of NR were found to be improved as a result of the incorporation of PS-encapsulated nanosilica at 3 and 3-9 parts per hundred rubber (phr) for tensile strength and modulus at 300% strain, respectively, except the elongation at break, and up to 9 phr for flammability. The results from dynamic mechanical analyzer showed that the elastic properties of NR near the glass transition temperature increased with the inclusion of increasing concentration of the PS-encapsulated nanosilica, causing by the semi-interpenetrating nanostructure in the NR nanocomposites.     

High-negative effective refractive index of silver nanoparticles system in nanocomposite films

We have proved on the basis of the experimental optical reflection and transmission spectra of the nanocomposite film of poly(methyl methacrylate) with silver nanoparticles that (PMMA + Ag) nanocomposite films have quasi-zero refractive indices in the optical wavelength range. We show that to achieve quasi-zero values of the complex index of refraction of composite materials is necessary to achieve high-negative effective refractive index in the system of spherical silver nanoparticles.     

K+和Al3+掺杂对掺Er3+溶胶凝胶玻璃发光特性的影响

通过Sol-gel(溶胶-凝胶)技术,首次将Al3 离子和K 离子同时引入到掺Er3 硅酸盐玻璃中,并测定了硅基玻璃中Er3 离子的吸收光谱、透射光谱、光致发光光谱(PL谱)、上转换光谱、拉曼光谱及荧光寿命.结果显示:掺入的Al3 离子和K 离子不但分别使Er3 离子的荧光强度增强20倍和70倍,而且使Er3 离子在1 532 nm处的荧光寿命从4.8 ms延长至7.1和11.2 ms,但经过进一步分析可知两者对其的影响机制却完全不同;同时作者发现,在980 nm波长激发下,Er3 离子的上转换荧光应该同时存在两种发光机制:双光子吸收和能量传递上转换.     

The sol-gel glass transformation of silica

Abstract

Large monolithic xerogel silica glasses were successfully made from tetramethyl-orthosilicate and distilled water using the combination of an acidic drying control chemical additive (DCCA) and a specially designed drying chamber. The acidic DCCA increases the gel strength by formation of a fibrillar ultrastructure, and the drying chamber reduces the catastrophic capillary forces inside the wet gel body.

Partially densified monolithic gels up to 850°C were routinely made for physical property tests and compared to commercial fused silicas. Although the mechanical properties of the porous gel-silica monoliths such as microhardness, Young's modulus, toughness, flexural strength, density are relatively lower than fused silica, the optically transparent porous gel silica has a UV cut-off ranging from 250–300 nm. Such a porous gel with excellent optical transmission and a highly uniform pore radius of 10–50 Å offers a unique, chemically stable matrix for impregnation with a second phase of optically active organic or inorganic compounds.

The processing and properties of Types I and II fused quartz optics and Types III and IV synthetic fused silica optics are compared with the new organometallic sol-gel derived gel-silica optics. Fully dehydrated and densified gel-silica has excellent transmission from 165 nm to 4400 nm with no OH absorption peaks. This optical transmission is equivalent to the best Type IV fused silica. The other physical properties and structural characteristics of the dehydrated dense gel-silica are similar to fused quartz and fused silica. However, the dense gel-silica has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion of 2.0 × 10^?7 cm/cm compared with 5.5 × 10^?7 cm/cm for standard vitreous silicas. The CTE value is temperature independent from 80 K to 500 K. Sol-gel silica optics can be made as complex shapes by casting of the sol into inexpensive plastic molds.