Low voltage tunable liquid crystal Fibonacci grating

ABSTRACT

In this article, we disclose low voltage tunable liquid crystal Fibonacci gratings (FbG). Photoalignment technique has been used to create two domains of Fibonacci structure using a photomask. Switchable properties of LC are used to tune the diffraction efficiency of different orders by modulating the phase using the electric field. Position of split first orders shows good agreement with the golden ratio characteristic of the FbG. An increase in first-order diffraction efficiency from 3.7% to 6.7% has been achieved with a response time of 5.1 ms. The diffraction almost diminishes at 15 V with a very fast response time of 100 µs, the relaxation time is relatively slower ~26 ms, which is primarily due to higher viscosity. Variation and switching of the intensity of different orders in FbG, by the application of the electric field, can be utilised for selective far-field super-resolution imaging and different photonic applications.     

Fluorinated Alq3 derivatives with tunable optical properties

This communication reports that not only the emission colour but also the photoluminescence quantum yield of Alq3 can be tuned by introducing fluorine atoms at different positions; with fluorination at C-5 the emission is red-shifted with a tremendously decreased intensity, fluorination at C-6 causes a blue-shift with a significantly increased intensity, and fluorination at C-7 has a minor effect on both the colour and intensity of Alq3's emission.     

Integrated monolithic optical manipulation

We present a new approach to optical manipulation that integrates microfluidic channels directly onto semiconductor laser material creating a compact integrated optical trap that requires no alignment and is wholly portable.     

Electrically tunable photo-aligned two-dimensional liquid crystal polarisation grating

Two-dimensional liquid crystal polarisation grating based on twist liquid crystal has been demonstrated and fabricated by polarisation holography in this paper. The maximal diffraction efficiency of the second order is up to 90%. And the two-dimensional liquid crystal polarisation grating has the properties of electrically tenability and polarisation tenability. The two-dimensional polarisation grating diffracts light into a spot array. Different direction diffraction light is with different polarisation states. The intensity of the different orders diffraction light is optically controlled.     

Cellulose-based liquid crystalline photoresponsive films with tunable surface wettability

We report on a new type of liquid crystalline cellulosic films with light controllable reversible wettability. The films are prepared from a thermotropic cellulose derivative functionalized with azo-containing groups. These groups exhibit dynamic changes in interfacial properties in response to UV irradiation. The UV irradiation induces trans-to-cis isomerization in the azobenzene moiety, which causes a conformational change in the upper molecular layers of the thin films. These changes originate a hydrophobic to comparatively hydrophilic transformation of the surface. The reversible wettability of the surface results from the cis/trans photo and thermal isomerization. The UV-vis absorption spectra, as well as contact angle measurements with UV irradiation, clearly support the understanding of the phenomenon. This type of surface design enables the amplification of molecular level conformational transitions to macroscopic changes in interface properties using the means of isomerism. This opens new opportunities in surface engineering using eco-friendly cellulose manipulation.     

Fluorescence optical fiber sensor for tetracycline

A new optical fiber sensor for monitoring tetracycline has been described, based on the fluorescence quenching of 1,4-bis(5,5'-dimethylbenzoxazole-1',3'-yl-2')benzene incorporated into a thin plasticized polymer film by tetracycline extracted from aqueous phase into film phase. The sensor is fully reversible and highly reproducible. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits a linear response to tetracycline in the range 6.98x10(-7)-8.73x10(-5) mol l(-1) with a detection limit of 1.06x10(-7) mol l(-1), and with the response time <30 s. The response is also selective to tetracycline, with some common pharmaceutical species, alkali and alkali-earth metal salts being highly discriminated, suggesting that the sensor can be used to monitor tetracycline in three pharmaceutical preparations. The recovery of tetracycline from commercial formulations is 95.3-98.3%.     

A versatile twisted optical fiber sensor

An optical sensor sensitive to changes in light absorption and other optical interactions, and consisting of two fibers twisted around each other, is described. The sensor can be used as a refractometer, is very sensitive to the presence of water in oil, can be used to determine the amount of a solvent in oil, and might be useful in monitoring degradation of internal combustion engine oil. In addition, by surrounding the fibers with a film of solution, and observing the changes in ouput over time, additional information can be obtained. Used in this manner, the sensor can be used to identify specific solutions.     

Nematic liquid crystal mixtures dedicated to thermally tunable terahertz devices

Low-loss nematic liquid crystal mixtures with low temperatures of nematic-to-isotropic phase transition are tested at terahertz frequencies. Experimental results show that through control of ambient temperature, the thermally induced transmittance’s tunability of quartz transducers infiltrated with these mixtures can change of up to 4% for 0.9 THz. Thermally tunable devices based on soft matter may find applications in next-generation modulation and switching components operating in the terahertz regime.     

Functionalized Ag nanoparticles with tunable optical properties for selective protein analysis

We present a preparation procedure for small sized biocompatibly coated Ag nanoparticles with tunable surface plasmon resonances. The conditions were optimised with respect to the resonance Raman signal enhancement of heme proteins and to the preservation of the native protein structure.     

Integrated and topological liquid crystal photonics

This contribution is a personal view of the rapidly developing subfield of nematic colloids, with an emphasis on possible applications of these materials in future photonic microdevices. A brief overview of the most important phenomena, observed in the past decade in nematic colloids is given. It is explained why integrated photonics based on microstructured liquid crystals is feasible and future challenges towards the realisation of integrated liquid crystal microphotonics are discussed.     

Photosensitizer drug delivery via an optical fiber

An optical fiber has been developed with a maneuverable mini-probe tip that sparges O(2) gas and photodetaches pheophorbide (sensitizer) molecules. Singlet oxygen is produced at the probe tip surface which reacts with an alkene spacer group releasing sensitizer upon fragmentation of a dioxetane intermediate. Optimal sensitizer photorelease occurred when the probe tip was loaded with 60 nmol sensitizer, where crowding of the pheophorbide molecules and self-quenching were kept to a minimum. The fiber optic tip delivered pheophorbide molecules and singlet oxygen to discrete locations. The 60 nmol sensitizer was delivered into petrolatum; however, sensitizer release was less efficient in toluene-d(8) (3.6 nmol) where most had remained adsorbed on the probe tip, even after the covalent alkene spacer bond had been broken. The results open the door to a new area of fiber optic-guided sensitizer delivery for the potential photodynamic therapy of hypoxic structures requiring cytotoxic control.     

Towards biochips using microstructured optical fiber sensors

In this paper we present the first incorporation of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) into biochip applications. A 16-mm-long piece of MOF is incorporated into an optic-fluidic coupler chip, which is fabricated in PMMA polymer using a CO₂ laser. The developed chip configuration allows the continuous control of liquid flow through the MOF and simultaneous optical characterization. While integrated in the chip, the MOF is functionalized towards the capture of a specific single-stranded DNA string by immobilizing a sensing layer on the microstructured internal surfaces of the fiber. The sensing layer contains the DNA string complementary to the target DNA sequence and thus operates through the highly selective DNA hybridization process. Optical detection of the captured DNA was carried out using the evanescent-wave-sensing principle. Owing to the small size of the chip, the presented technique allows for analysis of sample volumes down to 300 nL and the fabrication of miniaturized portable devices.      

Microbe removal using a micrometre-sized optical fiber

The growing global shortage of fresh water has lead to the need for technological innovations for water purification and reuse. The removal of pathogenic microbes from urban, laboratory or industrial wastewater is one of the most challenging and critical issues due to the potential risk of microbe outbreaks. In addition, microbe removal in human blood or tissues has also inspired novel techniques for extracting and collecting different cells in fluidic channels or vessels. Recently, efficient removal of microbes from flowing water running under gravity feed has been achieved using filters in nanotubes or nanofibers. Here we report a highly efficient removal of microbes from flowing water in a fluidic channel using a reusable micrometre-sized optical fiber. Our technique is based on photophoresis of the microbes induced by the radiation of 1.55 μm wavelength injected into the fiber. Yeast cell suspensions, as a sample of microbe-contaminated water, are flown through a fluidic channel and the suspended cells are collected by the photophoretic forces, leading to a consistent accumulation of the yeast cells. The experiments indicate that a removal efficiency of 99.9% can be obtained when the flow velocity of the suspensions is less than the peak photophoretic velocity of the yeast cells.     

Homogeneous supported synthesis using ionic liquid supports: tunable separation properties

[structure: see text] We report a homogeneous supported version of Koser's salt based on a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) support. By altering the nature of the RTIL, a material was developed that was stable, recyclable, and readily separable from the tosyloxylated ketone products just by using variations in solvent polarity. A similar approach should be applicable to a wide range of supported catalysts and reagents.     

Imidazolium camphorsulfonamides: chiral catanionic liquid crystals with tunable thermal properties

We report the synthesis of novel chiral catanionic liquid crystals bearing camphorsulfonamide substructures. The phase behaviour of these long-chain substituted imidazolium sulphates and sulfonates was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We observed that the phase behaviour clearly depends on the substitution of both cation and anion. The chiral camphorsulfonamide substructures have an unfavourable influence on the formation of liquid crystalline (LC-) phases. Contrary to N,N'-di-alkyl-imidazolium salts, the formation of LC phases was only observed when both cation and anion are substituted with long alkyl chains (C(12) or C(16)). Furthermore, the phase transition temperatures depend on the chain length of the alkyl groups, as higher phase transition temperatures were observed for compounds bearing longer alkyl chains. However, no macroscopic evidence for the formation of chiral mesophases was obtained.     

Synthesis, characterization, and tunable optical properties of hollow gold nanospheres

Nearly monodisperse hollow gold nanospheres (HGNs) with tunable interior and exterior diameters have been synthesized by sacrificial galvanic replacement of cobalt nanoparticles. It is possible to tune the peak of the surface plasmon band absorption between 550 and 820 nm by carefully controlling particle size and wall thickness. Cobalt particle size is tunable by simultaneously changing the concentration of sodium borohydride and sodium citrate, the reducing and capping agent, respectively. The thickness of the gold shell can be varied by carefully controlling the addition of gold salt. With successful demonstration of ensemble as well as single HGN surface-enhanced Raman scattering, these HGNs have shown great potential for chemical and biological sensing applications, especially those requiring nanostructures with near-IR absorption.     

Effective electrically tunable infrared reflectors based on polymer stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals

Electrically tunable infrared (IR) reflectors based on polymer stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLC) have been fabricated. The influence of polymerisation time on bandwidth broadening and response time of the IR reflector was investigated. Such IR reflector can reflect broad band of infrared light from 725 to 1435 nm upon application of a DC electric field, while remaining predominantly transparent in the visible region, with the transmittance in the region of 400–700 nm being above 90%. Bandwidth broadening was induced using low operational power with acceptable switching speeds. Model tests reveal that this IR reflector can effectively control the indoor temperature. The distinct properties of such IR reflector make it a good candidate for smart windows of automobiles and buildings to control interior temperature and save energy.     

High performance liquid chromatography coupled to an optical fiber detector coated with laccase for screening catecholamines in plasma and urine

An analytical method based on separation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detection by optical fiber (OF) coated with an enzyme (laccase), has been developed for separation and quantification of catecholamines, namely epinephrine, dopamine and norepinephrine. The application of OF as a detector in this analytical system relies on the variation of the reflected optical power detected when the catecholamines eluted from the HPLC column act as the substrate of the laccase immobilized on a tip of a single-mode OF. The developed method shows a high linearity in a range between 5 and 125 pg/mL and detection limits of 3.5, 2.9 and 3.3 pg/mL for epinephrine, dopamine and norepinephrine, respectively. The analytical performance of the proposed method was compared with a classical analytical method, namely high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector (HPLC-ED) regarding catecholamines detection, showing great analytical advantages such as low cost of equipment. Additionally, the proposed method was applied to catecholamines determination in actual samples of plasma and human urine.     

Picoliter droplet formation on thin optical fiber tips

In this paper, we present experimental results on how minute droplets are formed on fiber optic end faces. Results show that reproducible picoliter volumes can be generated when fibers are retracted from an aqueous phase contained under an inert fluorinated immiscible liquid, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.7-2.3%. The droplet formation was analyzed as a function of the fiber diameter, retraction speed, and wettability. Experiments reveal a volume-determining critical equilibrium contact angle between 60 degrees and 75 degrees , defining the onset of fiber end-face dewetting. The dynamics of the droplet snap-off progression was characterized using high-speed imaging in order to explain the observed wettability-volume dependency.