Themed collection Fundamental Processes in Optical Nanomaterials

Alison Funston, Eva Hemmer, Arindam Chowdhury and Jon Veinot introduce this Nanoscale and ChemComm themed collection on fundamental processes in optical nanomaterials.

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are a promising class of materials for next-generation near-infrared optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, lasers, photodetectors, and other applications.

Recent advances in aggregation-induced emitters for luminescent solar concentrators are discussed, focusing on molecular designs enabling operation in the deep-red/near-infrared regions, for prospective use in colourless spectral conversion devices.

Plasmonic “Quenchancement”: in this feature article, we discuss the interplay of different quenching and enhancement mechanisms that influence the development of metal–quantum dot nanohybrid biosensors.

Developement of portable colorimetric devices for detection of heavy metals, anions, biomolecules, pesticides, drugs, and other substances is vital across clinical, environmental, and food safety domains.

Co-modified nano-sandrose layered double hydroxide containing 15 mol% Co shows thermally-activated luminescence in the purple-to-blue visible-light region at room temperature.

A size-controllable fluorescent ZIF-8 structure is synthesized through modification with a versatile supramolecule, bis-carboxylate functional calix[4]pyrrole. Upon modification, the micropollutant removal properties of ZIF-8 were adjustable.

Thermally tolerant polymer optical resonators are fabricated from a stereocomplex of poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(D-lactic acid) through the oil-in-water miniemulsion method.

Gold functions as an adhesion layer and a dopant in the host silver chiral nanoparticles (CNPs), leading to high production yield and strong optical activities of binary mesoporous CNPs generated by galvanic replacement reactions of the host.

The implementation of co-antisolvent modulation provides a robust strategy for numerous high-quality 2D lead-free chiral perovskite nanomaterials for chiroptical devices.

A proof-of-concept for magneto-optical barcodes is demonstrated for the first time.

The impact of composition control and energy transfer on luminescence thermometry was investigated in a Tb^III/Eu^III dual-emitting molecular cluster-aggregate, known as {Ln₂₀}.

Observation of morphological changes in mitochondria under various conditions using red emissive carbon nano dots.

The use of a thermodynamically closed reactor prevented the interference of hot-charge carriers in the plasmonic-heat driven Claisen rearrangement, which is conventionally performed with electrical-heating at 250 °C.

We demonstrate that some organic ligands can provide electron transport channels that facilitate hot electron extraction from a gold nanostructure leading to a huge enhancement in the rate of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction.

We demonstrate burst-mode Time Gated Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (bmTG-FTS), a technique for simultaneously capturing and disentangling emission signals from short- (ns) and long-lived (μs–ms) states.

Different functional groups on 7-azaindole (7-AI) alter its passivation ability and dipole moment. Finally, 7-AI-OCH₃ proves to be highly effective in passivating defects and optimizing energy level alignment.

A 1D (HM)Pb₂Br₆ based on hexamethonium has been developed for broadband red emission with a PLQY of 6.24%. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the red emission derives from the self-localized Pb₂³⁺, Pb³⁺ and Br₂⁻ species.

The development of enhanced strategies with excellent biocompatibility is critical for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) imaging of single cells.

Perylene bisimides equipped with bulky imide substituents self-assemble into orthogonally stacked dimers or bind up to two aromatic guests. These complexes were confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis and their optical properties were elucidated.

A reverse microemulsion route enabled to probe the interfacial crystallisation of luminescent nanoporous YVO₄ and to encapsulate dye molecules in the nanoparticle cavities.

Matrix structure is employed to synthesize stable deep blue FAPbBr₃ quantum dot solid films exhibiting good structural and optical stability even after 245 day storage.

Synthesis yield of NIR-emissive DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters is significantly enhanced by temperatures of 20 to 40 °C and basic pH.

Photonic crystal-perovskite nanocrystal hybrid beads exhibit Purcell enhancement and increased quantum yields of photoluminescence. The photonic crystal matrix is key for modulating the optoelectronic properties of the incorporated nanocrystals.

We designed polymer dot-magnetic nanoparticle nanohybrids for signal enhancement in a test strip platform.

The MOF-type Ni₂(dobpdc) shows a high chemical stability towards SO₂, high capacity for SO₂ capture at low pressure (4.3 mmol g⁻¹ at 298 K and up to 0.05 bar), and exceptional SO₂ detection properties.

FIB milling of perylene and coumarin-135 microcrystals provides dimensionally- and geometrically-precise photonic resonators, paving a way for the industrial-scale production of organic photonic modules and devices.

We constructed a distinct ‘‘turn-on’’ Au@SiO₂ nanostructure for a metal-enhanced fluorescence system. The metal-enhanced fluorescence chemosensor shows high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg²⁺ with a detection limit of 5 × 10⁻¹¹ mol L⁻¹.

A new liquid-phase redox synthesis to form silicon nanoparticles allows the solvent used during synthesis to determine particle size and fluorescent properties.

Vertically Aligned Conducting Polymers: The article emphasizes the fabrication of an electrografted vertically oriented polyaniline and its application in a highly sensitive electrochemical glucose enzymatic biosensor utilizing this monolayer.

The work explores multipolar excitations in and utilization of nanostructured transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXene) layers in designing a photodetector electrode that exhibits enhanced response through hot-electron generation.

Introducing a fast, reliable, and flexible “Direct Laser Writing” technology for printing precise and complex SERS-patters on different substrates of any desired structure with nanometer resolution for applications in sensor technology and optoelectronics.

X-Ray imaging techniques are among the most widely used modalities in medical imaging and their constant evolution has led to the emergence of new technologies.

Sputtering of Zr in Ar/N₂ produces stoichiometric, crystalline, conductive, and plasmonic ZrN nanoparticles that can be directly loaded into liquids.

Molecular aggregates exhibit collective sharing of electronic excitation energy known as exciton delocalization, that can be leveraged in applications such as quantum computing, optical information processing, and light harvesting.

Perovskite nanocrystal assemblies have been directly synthesised via solvent and ligand induced enhancements of the attractive hydrophobic interaction.

The photostability of ∼5 nm diameter SiQDs with an amorphous shell was compared with that of over-etched SiQDs of equivalent dimensions that bore an a-Si shell of negligible thickness.

Hint of the band gap modulation in the polycrystalline topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ film under unpolarized light and realization of photodetector with a typical range.

Superchiral resonances of silicon metasurfaces are controlled by manipulation of their excited electric and magnetic multipoles.

We developed a method based on image analysis to optically determine the molecular weight of both artificial and natural polymers translocating through nanopores.

Comparison of the satellite absorbance spectra calculated with T-matrix and GCDM methods for the Au core surrounded by Ag satellites.

The photophysical behavior of rose bengal dramatically changes when functionalizing an upconversion nanoparticle due to its interaction with photoactive lanthanide cations of the matrix.

Core/shell/shell nanoparticle design with a controlled inner NaGdF₄ layer between the upconverting Er/Yb-doped NaGdF₄ core and the magnetic NaDyF₄ shell suppressed Dy³⁺-induced emission loss, while simultaneously enhancing MRI T₂ and CT performance.

This work builds on an in-depth evaluation of cavitation bubbles around gold nanoparticles upon ultrafast laser photoexcitation and the transition of photothermal to plasma-mediated cavitation, depending on particle properties and laser pulse width.

Multicolor photon avalanche emission of Pr³⁺ doped NaYF₄ nanocrystals under 852 nm excitation is enabled by co-doping sensitizer Yb³⁺ ions.

Upon exploring the properties of a mixed dispersion of iron oxide nanoparticles and Ag₂S luminescent nanocrystals, we discover a new source of bias in luminescence thermometry induced by the presence of metal ions in solution.

Dendronized spiropyrans assemble in water to form nanospheres with remarkable supramolecular chirality, which can be reversibly tuned through isomerization of spiropyrans or thermal collapse of the dendritic OEGs.

Here, we demonstrate how chemical interface damping (CID) influences the nanoscale plasmon–exciton coupling strength.

Simple and effective strategy for producing quantum dot microbeads (QD-MBs) with controllable sizes, which can be crucial in diverse fields such as biosensing, drug delivery, and imaging.

On the surface and volume.

It is novel to demonstrate a self-driven ultraviolet-visible photodetector based on the gallium nitride/gold nanocluster (GaN/AuNC) core–shell nanowire heterojunctions fabricated by introducing the AuNCs onto the GaN NW surfaces.

Multi-wavelength light-to-heat conversion efficiency of dispersed nanoparticles is directly the ratio between the calibrated photoacoustic spectrum and the attenuation spectrum.

Functionalization of Sn-doped In₂O₃ NCs with specifically designed electron-donating graphene quantum dots (HBC–AOM) enhances the stability of photodoped electrons over prolonged UV light exposure.

This study reveals that the functionalization of silicon nanosheets with styrene and tBuMA leads to nanostructures with exceptional nonlinear optical response. These nanostructures could have potential applications in optoelectronics and photonics.

This work investigates the refinement effect of thermal annealing or ns-pulsed laser treatment methods on the morphology and optical responses of mono- and bi-metallic plasmonic honeycomb lattice prepared by nanosphere lithography.

Encapsulated gold nanotriangles (AuNTs) were assembled into a three-dimensional structure inside a permeable silica nanocapsule under light illumination to generate multiple localized surface plasmon resonance modes with different energies.

We introduce a concise model for the ultrafast dynamics of plasmon–exciton nanoparticles. Assuming that all modulations are caused by heat, we can nicely recreate the transient spectra.

Optical properties of Si₃N₄ membranes are modified via patterning of holes to excite surface phonon polaritons and increase transmittance.

This study employed a rational design approach using glucosamine and ethylene glycol to synthesize N-doped carbon dots, overcoming the challenge of understanding N-incorporation chemistry and enabling precise control over N-incorporated structures.

We present a novel atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) process for europium–organic thin films based on Eu(thd)₃ and 2-hydroxyquinoline-4-carboxylic acid (HQA) precursors.

A femtosecond-laser-assisted lithium niobate nanolithography technique is developed. The etching rate is enhanced to 2 μm h⁻¹. The nanohole size reaches ∼100 nm and the aspect ratio is above 40 : 1.

Transient Photoluminescence Microscopy (TPLM) with cylindrical lenses allows for an improved visualization of carrier transport in semiconductor materials.

Phase-pure and highly crystalline AgBiI₄ NCs are synthesized by hot-injection synthesis route. The iodine-rich surface of the NCs enable their impressive long-term environmental and thermal stabilities. This study shines light on the surface-electronic structure relationship for AgBiI₄ NCs.

Strong blue fluorescent HNBI-B, its polymorphic behavior and water-induced self-assembly (WISA) into nanodiscoids and fluorescent hexagonal microtubes with efficient waveguide behavior are described.

The synthesis and properties of efficient ratiometric nanothermometers based on mesoporous stellate nanoparticles functionalized with an acetylacetonate derivative and loaded with β-diketonate-Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺ complexes working in water, PBS or cells.

Radiative and nonradiative recombination centers are located on the lateral surface of the CdSe nanoplatelets.

The poor photostability of dye-sensitized upconverting nanoparticles limits their applicability. By covalently encapsulating modified IR820 in a silica shell, the accessibility of oxygen to interact and cause degradation is completely avoided.

Low-symmetric GeTe semiconductor has excellent optical and thermal properties, but few studies are available on their in-plane optical anisotropic nature that is crucial for their applications in optoelectronic and thermoelectric devices.

Upconversion broadband white light emission driven by low-power near-infrared lasers has been reported for many materials, but the mechanisms and effects related to this phenomenon remain unclear.