Pressure-tunable guided-mode resonance sensor for single-wavelength characterization

A method of tuning a one-dimensional guided-mode resonance grating through the use of an air-pressure-responsive membrane is demonstrated here using finite-element method simulation. The device consists of a titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) grating structure embedded in a flexible polydimethylsiloxane membrane. This grating has a resonant response to TM-polarized light at a wavelength dependent upon the refractive index of the surrounding medium. By varying the pressure by 5500 Pa, lateral strain may be applied to the grating; this allows resonances to be produced for medium refractive indices ranging from 1.33 to 1.50 for a fixed-wavelength 850 nm light source.     

Efficient prediction of the quality factors of micromechanical resonators

A high quality factor (Q-factor) is one of the major requirements of high-performance resonators. An understanding of the dissipation mechanism is crucial for maximizing the quality factor by reducing the energy loss. Thermoelastic damping has been well-known as the important intrinsic dissipation that affects the quality factor of micro-resonators. In this study, a finite element formulation based on the weak form of fully coupled thermoelastic problems is suggested. The coupled thermoelastic equation usually leads to a large-size complex eigenvalue problem, which is very massive and time-consuming to solve. Therefore, we also applied the model order reduction (MOR) scheme to this coupled multiphysical problem in order to achieve computational efficiency. The present approach is validated by comparing the numerical results and analytical solutions.     

Effect of Ni doping on the phase stability and conductivity of scandia-stabilized zirconia

The effect of Ni doping on the phase stability and conductivity of scandia-stabilized zirconia (SSZ) thick film was studied. A free-standing 10SSZ thick-film (10 mol% Sc₂O₃-stabilized zirconia, ~ 10 μm thick) that was previously in contact with a Ni layer during co-firing was fabricated. The 10SSZ thick-film showed a cubic phase in contrast to the rhombohedral phase shown for a bulk 10SSZ sample. The Ni content in the SSZ thick film was ~ 1.7 mol%. The effect of Ni on the cubic phase formation was also confirmed by the similar observation of the cubic phase in the Ni-doped bulk 10SSZ sample. The observed conductivity behavior also supported the XRD observation. Ni was found to hinder the transformation of the cubic phase to the rhombohedral on cooling in 10SSZ samples after a reduction treatment.     

Spatially resolved measurement of femtosecond laser induced refractive index changes in transparent materials

We present a practical method to determine femtosecond laser induced refractive index changes in transparent materials. Based on an iterative Fourier transform algorithm, this technique spatially resolves the refractive index of complex structures by combining the dimensions of the modified region with the corresponding phase change extracted from far-field intensity measurements. This approach is used to characterize optical waveguides written by a femtosecond laser in borosilicate glass.     

Pep-1 Peptide-modified liposomal carriers for intracellular delivery of gold nanoparticles

A Pep-1 peptide-modified liposomal (Pep1-Lipo) carrier system was investigated to increase the intracellular delivery of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Au NPs with a mean diameter of 13 nm were successfully encapsulated into the inner aqueous compartment of the novel carrier using an ethanol injection technique, reserving the distinctive optical characteristics of the surface plasmon resonance peak around 530 nm. The Au NP-loaded liposomal carrier was physically characterized as 150-170 nm in size and 45 mV in zeta potential. Dark field microscopic observation demonstrated that in vitro cellular association and/or translocation of the nanoprobes into the cells was increased by Pep1-Lipo carriers compared to bare Au NPs. In conclusion, this novel liposomal formulation is a promising platform for the intracellular delivery of metallic nanoprobes including Au NPs.     

Conformationally resolved structures of jet-cooled acetaminophen by UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopy

The conformational structures of jet-cooled acetaminophen were investigated in the gas phase by resonant 2-photon ionization and UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopy. In contrast to the results from a previous study, two nearly isoenergetic conformers were distinctly found in a supersonic molecular beam expansion and positively identified as the cis and trans isomers of acetaminophen by UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopy. The 0-0 bands of the cis and trans isomers were found at 33518.7 and 33485.6 cm(-1), respectively. The vibronic bands of the two isomers are close-lying and/or partially overlapping due to the small energy difference (33 cm(-1)) between the two 0-0 bands. As a consequence, the recorded resonant 2-photon ionization spectrum is highly congested in the low excitation energy region, which develops continuously into a featureless, broadened spectrum in the high energy region.