Themed collection Light-nanoMatter Interactions

This article highlights recent advances in the rational design of uniform afterglow SiO₂ microparticles, facilitated by pseudomorphic transformation-assisted doping, identifies key challenges, and explores opportunities in this field.

This review highlights recent advancements in the development of lanthanide (Ln³⁺)-based nanothermometers, focusing on those operating in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region and outlining key findings as well as remaining challenges.

This paper demystifies luminescent molecular logic, detailing principles, experimental protocols, and innovative applications for sustainable, next-generation computing that transcends silicon limits and enables molecular-scale processing.

This Focus Article dispels 19 common myths and misconceptions about photon avalanching nanoparticles to remove the shroud of mystery surrounding the mechanism, utility, and future prospects of these uniquely nonlinear optical materials.

Upconverting nanoparticles are coated with inorganic ligands that enhance their luminescence and allow them to be integrated into electronic devices.

Meeting the growing demands of attaining clean water regeneration from wastewater and simultaneous pollutant degradation has been highly sought after.

In this work, we report the first example of lifetime thermometry with a molecular upconverter.

Extreme susceptibility of photon avalanche (PA) emission to resonant energy transfer-based quenching was demonstrated and explained, which should enable developing novel luminescence reporting technologies and ultrasensitive sensing.

We demonstrate a novel backlight unit utilizing the plasmonic interaction of quantum dots with v-shaped metallic grooves, which are capable of enhancing the emission in the desired polarization while suppressing the unwanted polarization component.

First photon-avalanche-based 3D-printed temperature sensor with high sensitivity (4.9% K⁻¹) and low uncertainty (0.32 K).

The upconversion phosphor β-NaYF₄:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ is one of the primary working horse examples for ratiometric luminescent Boltzmann thermometry. But why? Theoretical arguments are used in this work to unravel that recorded success.

Indium tin oxide nanoparticles are effective near-infrared photothermal agents. Their spectral properties make them ideal moieties to build up optically decoupled theranostic systems together with state-of-the-art luminescent nanoparticles.

Nanophotonic control over Förster resonance energy transfer pathways and efficiency in a crystalline colloidal array with three copolymerized emitters was demonstrated through strategic placement of the rejection wavelength (λ_rw).

Wireless electrochemistry is used for the parallel fabrication of gold-coated AFM tips with high reproducibility to enable nanoscale TERS imaging.

Generative neural network models produce multiple designs tailored to a specific desired property, which offers researchers greater flexibility in selecting designs that balances accuracy and convenience.

The emission intensity of individual upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) on metal surfaces is determined by an interplay between quenching and reflection effects, while the ratiometric thermometry signal is unaffected by the underlying material.

In this paper we present the in situ analysis of gas dependent alloying in bimetallic Au-Pd nanoparticles through a combination of CO-DRIFTS and in situ TEM providing direct insight in the surface- and nanoparticle bulk redistribution kinetics.

A high-performance filter-free narrowband self-powered ultraviolet photodetector based on the PtNPs@ZnO:Ga/BaTiO₃/GaN heterojunction is experimentally obtained through the synergistic operation of plasmonic and interface engineering effects.

Plasmonic silver-decorated TiO₂ inverse opal has shown an interesting potential for photocatalysis owing to its physically tunable optical absorbance, highly active area, and flexible fabrication.

Localized enhancement of upconversion luminescence in silver nanowires allows the direct visualization of plasmonic hot-spots; however, the effect on the emission spectra of Er³⁺ ions must be corrected for accurate ratiometric thermometry analysis.

An ingenious Si–SiO₂–Si grating dielectric metasurface structure was engineered to obtain structural colorization.

The plasmonic response of Au nanospheres (NSs) in MCF-7 cells is investigated comparing experimental data with 3D simulations. Our findings highlight the impact of NS assembly, the surrounding medium, and interparticle gap on photothermal efficiency.

Coupled plasmon triggering significantly enhanced the NRR efficiency on the surface of semiconductor heterostructure (2D/2D) gC₃N₄@MoS₂.

PEDOT Nanoparticles, generated by the combined use of e-beam lithography and electropolymerization show, after secondary doping, unprecedented LSPR maximum close to the visible range.

We have investigated the pronounced gate-dependent lifetimes in WS₂/WSe₂ heterostructures, which are related to the doping-controlled competition between different recombination pathways.

A multiscale approach for characterizing the thermomechanical performance of photothermally powered, nanorobotic microgels is presented.

The schematic representation illustrates deployment of a nanogold-coated stent for achieving non-invasive photothermal ablation of stent thrombosis upon NIR laser irradiation, leading to the restoration of blood flow.

The introduction of Ag NPs onto TpPa-1-COF using the FDTD method leads to enhancements in interfacial electric field intensity distribution and the “hot spot” region, thereby boosting photocatalytic H₂ evolution efficiency.

White light and NIR luminescence were obtained for oxyfluoride nano-glass-ceramics doped with Pr³⁺ ions prepared by the sol–gel method as an interesting alternative for well-known Pr³⁺-doped materials fabricated by the melt-quenching technique.

Organic solid-state emitters based on a twisted octaazaperopyrenedioxide core can be processed from solution into smooth and highly fluorescent thin films and are integrated directly into optical microcavities for strong light-matter coupling.

A novel thermo-plasmonic-assisted scheme for precise control of ion doping and local structure of micro/nanomaterials with single-particle spectroscopy methods.

We describe the utilization of a biopolymer-preserved plasmonic biosensor with improved environmental stability for the sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).