Optical, Magnetic and Photo-Thermal Properties of Laser-Synthesized Nano-Objects

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2020) | Viewed by 19771

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Institute of Engineering and Systems Sciences (INSIS), French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), 75016 Paris, France
Interests: laser-matter interactions; multi-scale modelling; nanotechnology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, laser-based synthesis of nanoscopic objects and nano-structures has found its place in many areas, such as plasmonic sensors, solar cells, catalysis, nano-bio-photonics, the automobile industry, medicine, etc. Modern progress in these applications is based on a combination of both experimental and numerical studies focused not only on the fabrication, but also on the optical, magnetic and photo-thermal properties of the obtained nano-objects.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims to collect papers covering all types of measurements and calculations related to the exciting properties of laser-synthesized nano-objects. The involved nano-objects can include metallic and hydride nanoparticles, core-shells, Janus particles, fractal aggregates, as well as colloids and/or nano-composites. The articles should not only describe laser-based fabrication techniques, but, importantly, should bring more light on the resulting unique optical, magnetic, magneto-optical, thermal and/or photo-thermal properties with a strong application potential.

Prof. Dr. Tatiana E. Itina
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanoparticles and nanostructures
  • colloidal nanoparticles
  • nano-composite materials
  • core-shells, Janus particles, fractal aggregates
  • optical, magnetic, and thermal properties
  • hybrid nanoparticles
  • thermodynamics on nanoscale

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2444 KiB  
Article
Laser Ablation-Assisted Synthesis of Plasmonic Si@Au Core-Satellite Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications
by Ahmed Al-Kattan, Gleb Tselikov, Khaled Metwally, Anton A. Popov, Serge Mensah and Andrei V. Kabashin
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030592 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2620
Abstract
Owing to strong plasmonic absorption and excellent biocompatibility, gold nanostructures are among best candidates for photoacoustic bioimaging and photothermal therapy, but such applications require ultrapure Au-based nanoformulations of complex geometry (core-shells, nanorods) in order to shift the absorption band toward the region of [...] Read more.
Owing to strong plasmonic absorption and excellent biocompatibility, gold nanostructures are among best candidates for photoacoustic bioimaging and photothermal therapy, but such applications require ultrapure Au-based nanoformulations of complex geometry (core-shells, nanorods) in order to shift the absorption band toward the region of relative tissue transparency (650–1000 nm). Here, we present a methodology for the fabrication of Si@Au core-satellite nanostructures, comprising of a Si core covered with small Au nanoparticles (NP), based on laser ablative synthesis of Si and Au NPs in water/ethanol solutions, followed by a chemical modification of the Si NPs by 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) and their subsequent decoration by the Au NPs. We show that the formed core-satellites have a red-shifted plasmonic absorption feature compared to that of pure Au NPs (520 nm), with the position of the peak depending on APTMS amount, water−ethanol solvent percentage and Si−Au volume ratio. As an example, even relatively small 40-nm core-satellites (34 nm Si core + 4 nm Au shell) provided a much red shifted peak centered around 610 nm and having a large tail over 700 nm. The generation of the plasmonic peak is confirmed by modeling of Si@Au core-shells of relevant parameters via Mie theory. Being relatively small and exempt of any toxic impurity due to ultraclean laser synthesis, the Si@Au core-satellites promise a major advancement of imaging and phototherapy modalities based on plasmonic properties of nanomaterials. Full article
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16 pages, 3785 KiB  
Article
Internal Surface Plasmon Excitation as the Root Cause of Laser-Induced Periodic Plasma Structure and Self-Organized Nanograting Formation in the Volume of Transparent Dielectric
by Vladimir B. Gildenburg and Ivan A. Pavlichenko
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1461; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081461 - 26 Jul 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2187
Abstract
A computer simulation of the dynamics of an optical discharge produced in the volume of a transparent dielectric (fused silica) by a focused femtosecond laser pulse was carried out taking into account the possibility of developing small-scale ionization-field instability. The presence of small [...] Read more.
A computer simulation of the dynamics of an optical discharge produced in the volume of a transparent dielectric (fused silica) by a focused femtosecond laser pulse was carried out taking into account the possibility of developing small-scale ionization-field instability. The presence of small foreign inclusions in the fused silica was taken into account with the model of a nanodispersed heterogeneous medium by using Maxwell Garnett formulas. The results of the calculations made it possible to reveal the previously unknown physical mechanism that determines the periodicity of the ordered plasma-field structure that is formed in each single breakdown pulse and is the root cause of the ordered volume nanograting formation in dielectric material exposed to a series of repeated pulses. Two main points are decisive in this mechanism: (i) the formation of a thin overcritical plasma layer at the breakdown wave front counter-propagated to the incident laser pulse and (ii) the excitation of the “internal surface plasmon” at this front, resulting in a rapid amplification of the corresponding spatial harmonic of random seed perturbations in the plasma and formation of a contrast structure with a period equal to the wavelength of the surface plasmon (0.7 of the wavelength in dielectric). Full article
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14 pages, 5115 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Analysis of Laser-Induced Plasmon Tuning in Nanoporous Glass Composite
by Maksim M. Sergeev, Roman A. Zakoldaev, Tatiana E. Itina, Pavel V. Varlamov and Galina K. Kostyuk
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061131 - 8 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3322
Abstract
Laser-induced structuring in nanoporous glass composites is promising for numerous emerging applications in photonics and plasmonics. Local laser irradiation activates an interplay of photo-thermo-chemical mechanisms that are extremely difficult to control. The choice of optimum laser parameters to fabricate structures with desired properties [...] Read more.
Laser-induced structuring in nanoporous glass composites is promising for numerous emerging applications in photonics and plasmonics. Local laser irradiation activates an interplay of photo-thermo-chemical mechanisms that are extremely difficult to control. The choice of optimum laser parameters to fabricate structures with desired properties remains extremely challenging. Another challenging issue is the investigation of the properties of laser-induced buried structures. In this paper, we propose a way to control the plasmonic structures formation inside a nanoporous glass composite with doped silver/copper ions that are induced by laser irradiation. Experimental and numerical investigations both demonstrate the capacities of the procedure proving its validity and application potential. In particular, we register transmitted laser power to analyse and control the modification process. Spectral micro-analysis of the irradiated region shows a multilayer plasmonic structure inside the glass composite. Subsequently, the effective medium theory connects the measured spectral data to the numerically estimated size, concentration, and chemical composition of the secondary phase across the initial GC sample and the fabricated structure. Full article
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18 pages, 3953 KiB  
Article
High-Order Harmonic Generation in Au Nanoparticle-Contained Plasmas
by Mottamchetty Venkatesh, Rashid A. Ganeev, Dmitry S. Ivanov, Ganjaboy S. Boltaev, Vyacheslav V. Kim, Jingguang Liang, Andrey A. Samokhvalov, Andrei V. Kabashin, Sergey M. Klimentov, Martin E. Garcia and Chunlei Guo
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(2), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10020234 - 29 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3611
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (NPs) have a wide range of applications in various fields. Here, we present high-order nonlinear optical studies of the plasmas produced from ablation of Au bulk targets and Au NP films deposited on paper and glass substrates. Experimentally, we analyze high-order [...] Read more.
Gold nanoparticles (NPs) have a wide range of applications in various fields. Here, we present high-order nonlinear optical studies of the plasmas produced from ablation of Au bulk targets and Au NP films deposited on paper and glass substrates. Experimentally, we analyze high-order harmonic generation (HHG) from gold NPs-containing plasmas. The HHG is produced by 35-fs pulses at 800 and 400 nm, while the plasmas are produced by femtosecond (35 fs, 800 nm), picosecond (200 ps, 800 nm), and nanosecond (5 ns, 1064 nm) pulses, respectively. High-order harmonics produced from ablated Au NPs on paper were 40 times stronger than the HHG from that ablated from the Au bulk targets. Through molecular dynamic simulations, we investigate the formation of gold NPs during laser ablation of a metal surface under different conditions. Full article
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11 pages, 2278 KiB  
Article
Laser-Ablative Synthesis of Isotope-Enriched Samarium Oxide Nanoparticles for Nuclear Nanomedicine
by Elena Popova-Kuznetsova, Gleb Tikhonowski, Anton A. Popov, Vladimir Duflot, Sergey Deyev, Sergey Klimentov, Irina Zavestovskaya, Paras N. Prasad and Andrei V. Kabashin
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10010069 - 28 Dec 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3604
Abstract
Nuclear nanomedicine is an emerging field, which utilizes nanoformulations of nuclear agents to increase their local concentration at targeted sites for a more effective nuclear therapy at a considerably reduced radiation dosage. This field needs the development of methods for controlled fabrication of [...] Read more.
Nuclear nanomedicine is an emerging field, which utilizes nanoformulations of nuclear agents to increase their local concentration at targeted sites for a more effective nuclear therapy at a considerably reduced radiation dosage. This field needs the development of methods for controlled fabrication of nuclear agents carrying nanoparticles with low polydispersity and with high colloidal stability in aqueous dispersions. In this paper, we apply methods of femtosecond (fs) laser ablation in deionized water to fabricate stable aqueous dispersion of 152Sm-enriched samarium oxide nanoparticles (NPs), which can capture neutrons to become 153Sm beta-emitters for nuclear therapy. We show that direct ablation of a 152Sm-enriched samarium oxide target leads to widely size- and shape-dispersed populations of NPs with low colloidal stability. However, by applying a second fs laser fragmentation step to the dispersion of initially formed colloids, we achieve full homogenization of NPs size characteristics, while keeping the same composition. We also demonstrate the possibility for wide-range tuning of the mean size of Sm-based NPs by varying laser energy during the ablation or fragmentation step. The final product presents dispersed solutions of samarium oxide NPs with relatively narrow size distribution, having spherical shape, a controlled mean size between 7 and 70 nm and high colloidal stability. The formed NPs can also be of importance for catalytic and biomedical applications. Full article
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13 pages, 7151 KiB  
Article
Natural Born Laser Dyes: Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) Emitters and Their Use in Random Lasing Studies
by Julien Massue, Thibault Pariat, Pauline M. Vérité, Denis Jacquemin, Martyna Durko, Tarek Chtouki, Lech Sznitko, Jaroslaw Mysliwiec and Gilles Ulrich
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(8), 1093; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9081093 - 30 Jul 2019
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 3750
Abstract
A series of five excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) emitters based on a 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole (HBO) scaffold, functionalized with a mono-or bis-(trialkylsilyl) acetylene extended spacer are presented. Investigation of their photophysical properties in solution and in the solid-state in different matrix, along with [...] Read more.
A series of five excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) emitters based on a 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole (HBO) scaffold, functionalized with a mono-or bis-(trialkylsilyl) acetylene extended spacer are presented. Investigation of their photophysical properties in solution and in the solid-state in different matrix, along with ab initio calculations gave useful insights into their optical behavior. Random lasing studies were conducted on a series of PMMA doped thin films, showing the presence of stimulated emission above the threshold of pumping energy density (ρth ≈ 0.5–2.6 mJ cm−2). In this work, the similarity of four level laser systems is discussed in light of the ESIPT photocycle. Full article
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