Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 20231

Special Issue Editor

Institute of Photonics, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Interests: nanofabrication; thin films; nanolaminates and multilayers; nanostructures; electromagnetic surface waves and plasmonics; X-ray; UV; THz; IR; light field control; environmental sensing; sources and detectors; materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photonic research is turning over a new leaf due to the advent of novel technologies and applications requiring, more than ever, an extreme level of fabrication, material understanding, on-chip and on-fiber integration, and characterization methods. Quantum photonics, AR-VR devices, sensors, and light sources and detectors require optics controlled at the nanoscale. A new photonic toolbox is under construction, and we aim in this Special Issue at emphasizing nanophotonics effects for real-life applications, such as environmental sensing, energy harvesting, ICT, and life science.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials focuses on experimental studies involving nanooptics in terms of metrology, patterning, deposition, and modulation. Although experimental demonstration is mandatory, a theoretical and/or simulation study explaining the experiment may be added to the work. We consider, here, photonics in a broad definition. Novel works on X-ray, UV, THz, and (mid-)IR are of utmost interest.

We welcome all types of contributions: full papers, communications, and reviews. The main topics of the Special Issue are as follows:·      

  • Investigation of new devices demonstrating interesting new features;·   
  • Applications of current nanotechnologies;·      
  • Life science and environmental sensing;·      
  • Nanofabrication and material control at the nanoscale;·      
  • Optical phenomena in nanostructures;·      
  • Measurement systems involving nanostructure-based devices. 

Dr. Matthieu Roussey
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanofabrication
  • thin films
  • nanolaminates and multilayers
  • nanostructures
  • electromagnetic surface waves and plasmonics
  • X-ray, UV, THz, IR
  • light field control
  • environmental sensing
  • sources and detectors
  • materials

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 6186 KiB  
Article
Passive Deicing CFRP Surfaces Enabled by Super-Hydrophobic Multi-Scale Micro-Nano Structures Fabricated via Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing
by Zihan Zhang, Jiakang Zhou, Yuqi Ren, Weihan Li, Sheng Li, Nianyao Chai, Zhongle Zeng, Xiangyu Chen, Yunfan Yue, Ling Zhou, Yibing Cheng, Shuxin Li and Xuewen Wang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(16), 2782; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12162782 - 13 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1652
Abstract
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is the main material of aircraft skin. Preparing superhydrophobic anti-icing/deicing surface on the CFRP is of great importance for aircraft flight safety. In this work, a variety of multi-scale micro-nano structures were imprinted on CFRP by femtosecond laser [...] Read more.
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is the main material of aircraft skin. Preparing superhydrophobic anti-icing/deicing surface on the CFRP is of great importance for aircraft flight safety. In this work, a variety of multi-scale micro-nano structures were imprinted on CFRP by femtosecond laser processing, and a transition from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic CFRP was realized. After being optimized by different geometries and laser conditions, the water contact angle, which is tested at 24.3 °C and 34% humidity, increased from 88 ± 2° (pristine) to 149 ± 3° (100 μm groove) and 153 ± 3° (80 μm grid). A further anti-icing test at −10 °C (measured on the cooling platform) and 28% humidity showed that the freezing time was increased from 78 ± 10 s (pristine) to 282 ± 25 s (80 μm grid). Most importantly, the tensile tests showed that the femtosecond laser processing method did not deteriorate the mechanical properties of CFRP. This work provides great significance for aircraft passive deicing technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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7 pages, 7950 KiB  
Article
Spectral, Morphological and Dynamical Analysis of a Holographic Grating Recorded in a Photo-Mobile Composite Polymer Mixture
by Daniele Eugenio Lucchetta, Riccardo Castagna, Gautam Singh, Cristiano Riminesi and Andrea Di Donato
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2925; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11112925 - 01 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
We report on the morphological, spectral and dynamical characterization of one-dimensional transmission holographic volume phase gratings, whose refractive index contrast and nanometric pitch are dynamically controlled by an incident laser light. The grating is obtained by the photo-polymerization of a recently developed photo-mobile [...] Read more.
We report on the morphological, spectral and dynamical characterization of one-dimensional transmission holographic volume phase gratings, whose refractive index contrast and nanometric pitch are dynamically controlled by an incident laser light. The grating is obtained by the photo-polymerization of a recently developed photo-mobile holographic composite polymer material. The observed changes in the refractive index contrast and grating pitch strongly suggest that the reversible all-optical real-time modulation of the obtained diffraction efficiency is induced by nano-fluidics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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8 pages, 2741 KiB  
Article
Terahertz Absorber with Graphene Enhanced Polymer Hemispheres Array
by Alesia Paddubskaya, Nadzeya Valynets, Sergey Maksimenko, Mukesh Kumar, Marian Baah, Markku Pekkarinen, Yuri Svirko, Gintaras Valušis and Polina Kuzhir
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(10), 2494; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11102494 - 24 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2059
Abstract
We propose an original technique for the fabrication of terahertz (THz) metasurfaces comprising a 3D printed regular array of polymer hemispheres covered with a thin conductive layer. We demonstrate that the deposition of a thin metal layer onto polymer hemispheres suppresses the THz [...] Read more.
We propose an original technique for the fabrication of terahertz (THz) metasurfaces comprising a 3D printed regular array of polymer hemispheres covered with a thin conductive layer. We demonstrate that the deposition of a thin metal layer onto polymer hemispheres suppresses the THz reflectivity to almost zero, while the frequency range of such a suppression can be considerably broadened by enhancing the structure with graphene. Scaling up of the proposed technique makes it possible to tailor the electromagnetic responses of metasurfaces and allows for the fabrication of various components of THz photonics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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9 pages, 2115 KiB  
Article
Anomalous Temperature Dependence of Photoluminescence Caused by Non-Equilibrium Distributed Carriers in InGaN/(In)GaN Multiple Quantum Wells
by Yuhao Ben, Feng Liang, Degang Zhao, Xiaowei Wang, Jing Yang, Zongshun Liu and Ping Chen
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(4), 1023; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11041023 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1905
Abstract
An increase of integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity has been observed in a GaN-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs) sample. The integrated intensity of TDPL spectra forms an anomalous variation: it decreases from 30 to 100 K, then increases abnormally from 100 to 140 K [...] Read more.
An increase of integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity has been observed in a GaN-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs) sample. The integrated intensity of TDPL spectra forms an anomalous variation: it decreases from 30 to 100 K, then increases abnormally from 100 to 140 K and decreases again when temperature is beyond 140 K. The increased intensity is attributed to the electrons and holes whose distribution are spatial non-equilibrium distributed participated in the radiative recombination process and the quantum barrier layers are demonstrated to be the source of non-equilibrium distributed carriers. The temperature dependence of this kind of spatial non-equilibrium carriers’ dynamics is very different from that of equilibrium carriers, resulting in the increased emission efficiency which only occurs from 100 to 140 K. Moreover, the luminescence efficiency of MQWs with non-equilibrium carriers is much higher than that without non-equilibrium carriers, indicating the high luminescence efficiency of GaN-based LEDs may be caused by the non-equilibrium distributed carriers. Furthermore, a comparison analysis of MQWs sample with and without hydrogen treatment further demonstrates that the better quantum well is one of the key factors of this anomalous phenomenon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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10 pages, 4088 KiB  
Article
Tunable Transparency and NIR-Shielding Properties of Nanocrystalline Sodium Tungsten Bronzes
by Luomeng Chao, Changwei Sun, Jianyong Dou, Jiaxin Li, Jia Liu, Yonghong Ma and Lihua Xiao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 731; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11030731 - 14 Mar 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
The NaxWO3 nanoparticles with different x were synthesized by a solvothermal method and the absorption behavior in visible and near-infrared light (NIR) region was studied. Well-crystallized nanoparticles with sizes of several tens of nanometers were confirmed by XRD, SEM and [...] Read more.
The NaxWO3 nanoparticles with different x were synthesized by a solvothermal method and the absorption behavior in visible and near-infrared light (NIR) region was studied. Well-crystallized nanoparticles with sizes of several tens of nanometers were confirmed by XRD, SEM and TEM methods. The absorption valley in visible region shifted from 555 nm to 514 nm and the corresponding absorption peak in NIR region shifted from 1733 nm to 1498 nm with the increasing x. In addition, the extinction behavior of NaxWO3 nanoparticles with higher x values were simulated by discrete dipole approximation method and results showed that the changing behavior of optical properties was in good agreement with the experimental results. The experimental and theoretical data indicate that the transparency and NIR-shielding properties of NaxWO3 nanoparticles in the visible and NIR region can be continuously adjusted by x value in the whole range of 0 < x < 1. These tunable optical properties of nanocrystalline NaxWO3 will expand its application in the fields of transparent heat-shielding materials or optical filters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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10 pages, 2617 KiB  
Article
Scalable Production of Boron Quantum Dots for Broadband Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical Performance
by Shuolei Meng, Qianyuan Chen, Hongjian Lin, Feng Zhou, Youning Gong, Chunxu Pan and Shunbin Lu
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 687; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11030687 - 09 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2147
Abstract
A simple and effective approach based on the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) method has been put forward for synthesizing boron quantum dots (BQDs). By adjusting the interactions between bulk boron and various solvents, the average diameter of produced BQDs is about 7 nm. [...] Read more.
A simple and effective approach based on the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) method has been put forward for synthesizing boron quantum dots (BQDs). By adjusting the interactions between bulk boron and various solvents, the average diameter of produced BQDs is about 7 nm. The nonlinear absorption (NLA) responses of as-prepared BQDs have been systematically studied at 515 nm and 1030 nm. Experimental results prove that BQDs possess broadband saturable absorption (SA) and good third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, which are comparable to graphene. The fast relaxation time and slow relaxation time of BQDs at 515 nm and 1030 nm are about 0.394–5.34 ps and 4.45–115 ps, respectively. The significant ultrafast nonlinear optical properties can be used in optical devices. Here, we successfully demonstrate all-optical diode application based on BQDs/ReS2 tandem structure. The findings are essential for understanding the nonlinear optical properties in BQDs and open a new pathway for their applications in optical devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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9 pages, 2415 KiB  
Article
Fiber Optical Hydrogen Sensor Based on WO3-Pd2Pt-Pt Nanocomposite Films
by Jixiang Dai, Yi Li, Hongbo Ruan, Zhuang Ye, Nianyao Chai, Xuewen Wang, Shuchang Qiu, Wei Bai and Minghong Yang
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(1), 128; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11010128 - 08 Jan 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2464
Abstract
In this paper, WO3-Pd2Pt-Pt nanocomposite films were deposited on a single mode fiber as the hydrogen sensing material, which changes its reflectivity under different hydrogen concentration. The reflectivity variation was probed and converted to an electric signal by a [...] Read more.
In this paper, WO3-Pd2Pt-Pt nanocomposite films were deposited on a single mode fiber as the hydrogen sensing material, which changes its reflectivity under different hydrogen concentration. The reflectivity variation was probed and converted to an electric signal by a pair of balanced InGaAs photoelectric detectors. In addition, the performance of the WO3-Pd2Pt-Pt composite film was investigated under different optical powers, and the irrigating power was optimized at 5 mW. With the irrigation of this optical power, the hydrogen sensitive film exhibits quick response toward 100 ppm hydrogen in air atmosphere at a room temperature of 25 °C. The experimental results demonstrate a high resolution at 5 parts per million (ppm) within a wide range from 100 to 5000 ppm in air. This simple and compact sensing system can detect hydrogen concentrations far below the explosion limit and provide early alert for hydrogen leakage, showing great potential in hydrogen-related applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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10 pages, 5274 KiB  
Article
Microstructure-Induced Anisotropic Optical Properties of YF3 Columnar Thin Films Prepared by Glancing Angle Deposition
by Yao Shan, Pian Liu, Yao Chen, Haotian Zhang, Huatian Tu, Yuxiang Zheng, Rongjun Zhang, Songyou Wang, Jing Li and Liangyao Chen
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2413; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10122413 - 03 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1644
Abstract
Yttrium fluoride (YF3) columnar thin films (CTFs) were fabricated by electron beam evaporation with the glancing angle deposition method. The microstructures and optical properties of YF3 CTFs were studied systematically. The YF3 films grown at different deposition angles are [...] Read more.
Yttrium fluoride (YF3) columnar thin films (CTFs) were fabricated by electron beam evaporation with the glancing angle deposition method. The microstructures and optical properties of YF3 CTFs were studied systematically. The YF3 films grown at different deposition angles are all amorphous. As the deposition angle increases, the columns in YF3 CTFs become increasingly separated and inclined, and the volume fraction of YF3 decreases, resulting in lower refractive indices. This phenomenon is attributed to the self-shadowing effect and limited adatom diffusion. The YF3 CTFs are optically biaxial anisotropic with the long axis (c-axis) parallel to the columns, the short axis (b-axis) perpendicular to the columns, and the other axis (a-axis) parallel to the film interface. The principal refractive index along the b-axis for the 82°-deposited sample is approximately 1.233 at 550 nm. For the 78°-deposited sample, the differences of principal refractive indices between the c-axis and the b-axis and between the a-axis and the b-axis reach the maximum 0.056 and 0.029, respectively. The differences of principal refractive indices were affected by both the deposition angle and the volume fraction of YF3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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Review

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 4080 KiB  
Review
Multilayer Reflective Coatings for BEUV Lithography: A Review
by Paul C. Uzoma, Salman Shabbir, Huan Hu, Paul C. Okonkwo and Oleksiy V. Penkov
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2782; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11112782 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3919
Abstract
The development of microelectronics is always driven by reducing transistor size and increasing integration, from the initial micron-scale to the current few nanometers. The photolithography technique for manufacturing the transistor needs to reduce the wavelength of the optical wave, from ultraviolet to the [...] Read more.
The development of microelectronics is always driven by reducing transistor size and increasing integration, from the initial micron-scale to the current few nanometers. The photolithography technique for manufacturing the transistor needs to reduce the wavelength of the optical wave, from ultraviolet to the extreme ultraviolet radiation. One approach toward decreasing the working wavelength is using lithography based on beyond extreme ultraviolet radiation (BEUV) with a wavelength around 7 nm. The BEUV lithography relies on advanced reflective optics such as periodic multilayer film X-ray mirrors (PMMs). PMMs are artificial Bragg crystals having alternate layers of “light” and “heavy” materials. The periodicity of such a structure is relatively half of the working wavelength. Because a BEUV lithographical system contains at least 10 mirrors, the optics’ reflectivity becomes a crucial point. The increasing of a single mirror’s reflectivity by 10% will increase the system’s overall throughput six-fold. In this work, the properties and development status of PMMs, particularly for BEUV lithography, were reviewed to gain a better understanding of their advantages and limitations. Emphasis was given to materials, design concepts, structure, deposition method, and optical characteristics of these coatings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Experimental Photonics)
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