Photothermally Triggered Nanoreactors with a Tunable Catalyst Location and Catalytic Activity.

Thermosensitive microgels based on poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) have been widely used to create nanoreactors with controlled catalytic activity through the immobilization of metal nanoparticles (NPs). However, traditional approaches with metal NPs located only in the polymer network rely on electric heating to initiate the reaction. In this study, we developed a photothermal-responsive yolk-shell nanoreactor with a tunable location of metal NPs.

Ultrafast dynamics in plasmon-exciton core-shell systems: the role of heat.

Strong coupling between plasmons and excitons gives rise to new hybrid polariton states with potential applications in various fields. Despite a plethora of research on plasmon-exciton systems, their transient behaviour is not yet fully understood. Besides Rabi oscillations in the first few femtoseconds after optical excitation, coupled systems show interesting non-linear features on the picosecond time scale.

Surface-Functionalized Au-Pd Nanorods with Enhanced Photothermal Conversion and Catalytic Performance.

Bimetallic nanostructures comprising plasmonic and catalytic components have recently emerged as a promising approach to generate a new type of photo-enhanced nanoreactors. Most designs however concentrate on plasmon-induced charge separation, leaving photo-generated heat as a side product. This work presents a photoreactor based on Au-Pd nanorods with an optimized photothermal conversion, which aims to effectively utilize the photo-generated heat to increase the rate of Pd-catalyzed reactions.

Decoding the kinetic limitations of plasmon catalysis: the case of 4-nitrothiophenol dimerization.

Plasmon-mediated chemistry presents an intriguing new approach to photocatalysis. However, the reaction enhancement mechanism is not well understood. In particular, the relative importance of plasmon-generated hot charges and photoheating is strongly debated.

The importance of plasmonic heating for the plasmon-driven photodimerization of 4-nitrothiophenol.

Metal nanoparticles form potent nanoreactors, driven by the optical generation of energetic electrons and nanoscale heat. The relative influence of these two factors on nanoscale chemistry is strongly debated. This article discusses the temperature dependence of the dimerization of 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) into 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) adsorbed on gold nanoflowers by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS).

Contact Resistance in Ambipolar Organic Field-Effect Transistors Measured by Confocal Photoluminescence Electro-Modulation Microscopy.

Although it is theoretically expected that all organic semiconductors support ambipolar charge transport, most organic transistors either transport holes or electrons effectively. Single-layer ambipolar organic field-effect transistors enable the investigation of different mechanisms in hole and electron transport in a single device since the device architecture provides a controllable planar pn-junction within the transistor channel. However, a direct comparison of the injection barriers and of the channel conductivities between electrons and holes within the same device cannot be measured by standard electrical characterization.

Deposition of Gold Nanotriangles in Large Scale Close-Packed Monolayers for X-ray-Based Temperature Calibration and SERS Monitoring of Plasmon-Driven Catalytic Reactions.

Anisotropic plasmonic particles such as gold nanotriangles have extraordinary structural, optical, and physicochemical properties. For many applications in different fields, it is essential to prepare them in a chemically and physically stable, structurally well-defined manner, e.g.

Mapping of charge distribution in organic field-effect transistors by confocal photoluminescence electromodulation microscopy.

A novel method for mapping the charge density spatial distribution in organic field-effect transistors based on the electromodulation of the photoluminescence is demonstrated. In field-effect transistors exciton quenching is dominated by exciton-charge carrier interaction so that it can be used to map the charge distribution in different operating conditions. From a quantitative analysis of the photoluminescence quenching, the thickness of the charge carrier accumulation layer is derived.

N-type perylene-based organic semiconductors for functional neural interfacing.

The bioelectrical signalling within neural networks has to be monitored in real-time and localized in space in order to unravel the mechanisms behind pathologies and diseases of the nervous systems. Organic materials have significant potential for bio-functional neural interfacing given that their "soft" nature offers better mechanical compatibility with the nerve tissues than conventional semiconductors, and their flexibility allows realization of the non-planar forms typically required for biomedical implants. The integration of living cells into organic semiconductors is an important step towards the development of bio-organic electronic transducers of cellular activity from neurons.