Probing Temperature Changes Using Nonradiative Processes in Hyperbolic Meta-Antennas.

Multilayered metal-dielectric nanostructures display both a strong plasmonic behavior and hyperbolic optical dispersion. The latter is responsible for the appearance of two separated radiative and nonradiative channels in the extinction spectrum of these structures. This unique property can open plenty of opportunities toward the development of multifunctional systems that simultaneously can behave as optimal scatterers and absorbers at different wavelengths, an important feature to achieve multiscale control of light-matter interactions in different spectral regions for different types of applications, such as optical computing or detection of thermal radiation.

Dry synthesis of bi-layer nanoporous metal films as plasmonic metamaterial.

Nanoporous metals are a class of nanostructured materials finding extensive applications in multiple fields thanks to their unique properties attributed to their high surface area and interconnected nanoscale ligaments. They can be prepared following different strategies, but the deposition of an arbitrary pure porous metal is still challenging. Recently, a dry synthesis of nanoporous films based on the plasma treatment of metal thin layers deposited by physical vapour deposition has been demonstrated, as a general route to form pure nanoporous films from a large set of metals.

2025 Roadmap on 3D Nano-magnetism.

The transition from planar (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) magnetic nanostructures represents a significant advancement in both fundamental research and practical applications, offering vast potential for next-generation technologies like ultrahigh-density storage, memory, logic, and neuromorphic computing. Despite being a relatively new field, the emergence of 3D nanomagnetism presents numerous opportunities for innovation, prompting the creation of a comprehensive roadmap by leading international researchers. This roadmap aims to facilitate collaboration and interdisciplinary dialogue to address challenges in materials science, physics, engineering, and computing.

Intrinsic Superchirality in Planar Plasmonic Metasurfaces.

Plasmonic metasurfaces with spatial symmetry breaking are crucial materials with significant applications in fields such as polarization-controlled photonic devices and nanophotonic platforms for chiral sensing. In this paper, we introduce planar plasmonic metasurfaces, less than one-tenth of a wavelength thick, featuring nanocavities formed by three equilateral triangles. This configuration creates uniform, thin metasurfaces.

New Horizons in Near-Zero Refractive Index Photonics and Hyperbolic Metamaterials.

The engineering of the spatial and temporal properties of both the electric permittivity and the refractive index of materials is at the core of photonics. When vanishing to zero, those two variables provide efficient knobs to control light-matter interactions. This Perspective aims at providing an overview of the state of the art and the challenges in emerging research areas where the use of near-zero refractive index and hyperbolic metamaterials is pivotal, in particular, light and thermal emission, nonlinear optics, sensing applications, and time-varying photonics.

Sub-picosecond collapse of molecular polaritons to pure molecular transition in plasmonic photoswitch-nanoantennas.

Molecular polaritons are hybrid light-matter states that emerge when a molecular transition strongly interacts with photons in a resonator. At optical frequencies, this interaction unlocks a way to explore and control new chemical phenomena at the nanoscale. Achieving such control at ultrafast timescales, however, is an outstanding challenge, as it requires a deep understanding of the dynamics of the collectively coupled molecular excitation and the light modes.

Ultrafast Thermionic Electron Injection Effects on Exciton Formation Dynamics at a van der Waals Semiconductor/Metal Interface.

Inorganic van der Waals bonded semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides are the subject of intense research due to their electronic and optical properties which are promising for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this context, understanding the carrier dynamics, as well as charge and energy transfer at the interface between metallic contacts and semiconductors, is crucial and yet quite unexplored. Here, we present an experimental study to measure the effect of mutual interaction between thermionically injected and directly excited carriers on the exciton formation dynamics in bulk WS.

Magneto-Optical Activity in Nonmagnetic Hyperbolic Nanoparticles.

Active nanophotonics can be realized by controlling the optical properties of materials with external magnetic fields. Here, we explore the influence of optical anisotropy on the magneto-optical activity in nonmagnetic hyperbolic nanoparticles. We demonstrate that the magneto-optical response is driven by the hyperbolic dispersion via the coupling of metallic-induced electric and dielectric-induced magnetic dipolar optical modes with static magnetic fields.

Directional Plasmonic Excitation by Helical Nanotips.

The phenomenon of coupling between light and surface plasmon polaritons requires specific momentum matching conditions. In the case of a single scattering object on a metallic surface, such as a nanoparticle or a nanohole, the coupling between a broadband effect, i.e.

Recent advances in plasmonic nanocavities for single-molecule spectroscopy.

Plasmonic nanocavities are able to engineer and confine electromagnetic fields to subwavelength volumes. In the past decade, they have enabled a large set of applications, in particular for sensing, optical trapping, and the investigation of physical and chemical phenomena at a few or single-molecule levels. This extreme sensitivity is possible thanks to the highly confined local field intensity enhancement, which depends on the geometry of plasmonic nanocavities.

Speeding up Nanoscience and Nanotechnology with Ultrafast Plasmonics.

Surface plasmons are collective oscillations of free electrons at the interface between a conducting material and the dielectric environment. These excitations support the formation of strongly enhanced and confined electromagnetic fields. As well, they display fast dynamics lasting tens of femtoseconds and can lead to a strong nonlinear optical response at the nanoscale.

Enhanced magnetic modulation of light polarization exploiting hybridization with multipolar dark plasmons in magnetoplasmonic nanocavities.

Enhancing magneto-optical effects is crucial for reducing the size of key photonic devices based on the non-reciprocal propagation of light and to enable active nanophotonics. Here, we disclose a currently unexplored approach that exploits hybridization with multipolar dark modes in specially designed magnetoplasmonic nanocavities to achieve a large enhancement of the magneto-optically induced modulation of light polarization. The broken geometrical symmetry of the design enables coupling with free-space light and hybridization of the multipolar dark modes of a plasmonic ring nanoresonator with the dipolar localized plasmon resonance of the ferromagnetic disk placed inside the ring.

Two-state switchable plasmonic tweezers for dynamic manipulation of nano-objects.

In this work, we present a plasmonic platform capable of trapping nano-objects in two different spatial configurations. The switch between the two trapping states, localized on the tip and on the outer wall of a vertical gold nanochannel, can be activated by varying the focusing position of the excitation laser along the main axis of the nanotube. We show that the switching of the trapping site is induced by changes in the distribution of the electromagnetic field and of the trapping force.

Intracellular Recording of Human Cardiac Action Potentials on Market-Available Multielectrode Array Platforms.

High quality attenuated intracellular action potentials from large cell networks can be recorded on multi-electrode arrays by means of 3D vertical nanopillars using electrical pulses. However, most of the techniques require complex 3D nanostructures that prevent the straightforward translation into marketable products and the wide adoption in the scientific community. Moreover, 3D nanostructures are often delicate objects that cannot sustain several harsh use/cleaning cycles.

Machine Learning in Nanoscience: Big Data at Small Scales.

Recent advances in machine learning (ML) offer new tools to extract new insights from large data sets and to acquire small data sets more effectively. Researchers in nanoscience are experimenting with these tools to tackle challenges in many fields. In addition to ML's advancement of nanoscience, nanoscience provides the foundation for neuromorphic computing hardware to expand the implementation of ML algorithms.

Electrophoretic Deposition of WS Flakes on Nanoholes Arrays-Role of Used Suspension Medium.

Here we optimized the electrophoretic deposition process for the fabrication of WS plasmonic nanohole integrated structures. We showed how the conditions used for site-selective deposition influenced the properties of the deposited flakes. In particular, we investigated the effect of different suspension buffers used during the deposition both in the efficiency of the process and in the stability of WS flakes, which were deposited on an ordered arrays of plasmonic nanostructures.

Plasmonic Nanopores for Single-Molecule Detection and Manipulation: Toward Sequencing Applications.

Solid-state nanopore-based sensors are promising platforms for next-generation sequencing technologies, featuring label-free single-molecule sensitivity, rapid detection, and low-cost manufacturing. In recent years, solid-state nanopores have been explored due to their miscellaneous fabrication methods and their use in a wide range of sensing applications. Here, we highlight a novel family of solid-state nanopores which have recently appeared, namely plasmonic nanopores.

Site-Selective Integration of MoS Flakes on Nanopores by Means of Electrophoretic Deposition.

Here, we propose an easy method for site-selective deposition of two-dimensional (2D) material flakes onto nanoholes by means of electrophoretic deposition. This method can be applied to both simple flat nanostructures and complex three-dimensional structures incorporating nanoholes. The deposition method is here used for the decoration of large ordered arrays of plasmonic structures with either a single or few layers of MoS.

A hybrid metal-dielectric zero mode waveguide for enhanced single molecule detection.

We fabricated hybrid metal-dielectric nanoslots and measured their optical response at three different wavelengths. The nanostructure is fabricated on a bilayer film formed by the sequential deposition of silicon and gold on a transparent substrate. The optical characterization is done via fluorescence spectroscopy measurements.

Tunable magnetoplasmonics in lattices of Ni/SiO/Au dimers.

We present a systematic study on the optical and magneto-optical properties of Ni/SiO/Au dimer lattices. By considering the excitation of orthogonal dipoles in the Ni and Au nanodisks, we analytically demonstrate that the magnetoplasmonic response of dimer lattices is governed by a complex interplay of near- and far-field interactions. Near-field coupling between dipoles in Ni and low-loss Au enhances the polarizabilty of single dimers compared to that of isolated Ni nanodisks.

Site-selective functionalization of plasmonic nanopores for enhanced fluorescence emission rate and Förster resonance energy transfer.

In this work, we use a site-selective functionalization strategy to decorate plasmonic nanopores with fluorescent dyes. Using an easy and robust fabrication method, we manage to build plasmonic rings on top of dielectric nanotubes with different inner diameters. The modulation of the dimension of the nanopores allows us to tailor their field confinement and their Purcell factor in the visible spectral range.

Hyperbolic Meta-Antennas Enable Full Control of Scattering and Absorption of Light.

We introduce a novel concept of hybrid metal-dielectric meta-antenna supporting type II hyperbolic dispersion, which enables full control of absorption and scattering of light in the visible/near-infrared spectral range. This ability lies in the different nature of the localized hyperbolic Bloch-like modes excited within the meta-antenna. The experimental evidence is corroborated by a comprehensive theoretical study.

On-Demand Intracellular Delivery of Single Particles in Single Cells by 3D Hollow Nanoelectrodes.

Delivery of molecules into intracellular compartments is one of the fundamental requirements in molecular biology. However, the possibility of delivering a precise number of nano-objects with single-particle resolution is still an open challenge. Here we present an electrophoretic platform based on 3D hollow nanoelectrodes to enable delivery of single nanoparticles into single selected cells and monitoring of the single-particle delivery by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).