Summary

We investigate the excitation as well as propagation of magnetic modes in plasmonic nanostructures. Such structures are particularly suited for excitation with cylindrical vector beams. We study magneto-inductive coupling between adjacent nanostructures. We utilize high-resolution lithographic techniques for the preparation of complex nanostructures consisting of gold as well as aluminium. These structures are subsequently characterized by linear optical spectroscopy. The well characterized and designed structures are afterwards studied in depth by exciting them with radial and azimuthally polarized light and simultaneously measuring their plasmonic near-field behavior. Additionally, we attempt to model and simulate our results, a project which has, to the best of our knowledge, not been attempted so far.

Summary

Regular arrays of metallic nano-triangles – so called Fischer patterns – are fabricated by nano-sphere lithography. We studied such gold nano-triangle arrays on silicon or glass substrates. A series of different samples was investigated with a parabolic mirror based confocal microscope where the sample is scanned through the laser focus. By employing higher order laser modes (azimuthally and radially polarised laser beams), we can excite the Fischer patterns using either a pure in-plane (x,y) electric field or a strongly z-directional (optical axis of the optical microscope) electric field. We collected and evaluated the emitted luminescence and thereby investigated the respectively excited plasmonic modes. These varied considerably: firstly with the light polarisation in the focus, secondly with the aspect ratio of the triangles and thirdly with the employed substrate. Moreover, we obtained strongly enhanced Raman spectra of an adenine (sub-)monolayer on gold Fischer patterns on glass. We thus showed that gold Fischer patterns are promising surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates.

Summary

Methods for imaging of nanocomposites based on X-ray, electron, tunneling or force microscopy provide information about the shapes of nanoparticles; however, all of these methods fail on chemical recognition. Neither do they allow local identification of mineral type. We demonstrate that infrared near-field microscopy solves these requirements at 20 nm spatial resolution, highlighting, in its first application to natural nanostructures, the mineral particles in shell and bone. "Nano-FTIR" spectral images result from Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). On polished sections of Mytilus edulis shells we observe a reproducible vibrational (phonon) resonance within all biocalcite microcrystals, and distinctly different spectra on bioaragonite. Surprisingly, we discover sparse, previously unknown, 20 nm thin nanoparticles with distinctly different spectra that are characteristic of crystalline phosphate. Multicomponent phosphate bands are observed on human tooth sections. These spectra vary characteristically near tubuli in dentin, proving a chemical or structural variation of the apatite nanocrystals. The infrared band strength correlates with the mineral density determined by electron microscopy. Since nano-FTIR sensitively responds to structural disorder it is well suited for the study of biomineral formation and aging. Generally, nano-FTIR is suitable for the analysis and identification of composite materials in any discipline, from testing during nanofabrication to even the clinical investigation of osteopathies.

Summary

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be efficiently dispersed in the imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs), at relatively high concentration, with their intrinsic structure and properties retained. Due to the hygroscopicity of the ILs, water bands may be introduced in the absorption spectra of IL-dispersed SWNTs and cause problems in spectral deconvolution and further analysis. In order to remove this influence, a quantitative characterization of the trace water in [BMIM]+[PF6]− and [BMIM]+[BF4]− was carried out by means of UV–vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy. A simple yet effective method involving spectral subtraction of the water bands was utilized, and almost no difference was found between the spectra of the dry IL-dispersed SWNT samples treated under vacuum for 10 hours and the spectra of the untreated samples with subtraction of the pure water spectrum. This result makes it more convenient to characterize SWNTs with absorption spectra in the IL-dispersion system, even in the presence of trace amount of water.

Summary

In fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, energy transfer processes between single fluorophores and fluorophore quencher pairs play an important role in the investigation of molecular distances or orientations. At distances larger than about 3 nm these effects originate predominantly from dipolar coupling. As these experiments are commonly performed in homogenous media, effects at the interface boundaries can be neglected. Nevertheless, the combination of such assays with single-molecule manipulation techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) requires a detailed understanding of the influence of interfaces on dipolar coupling effects. In the presented work we used a combined total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM)–AFM setup to elucidate this issue. We measured the fluorescence emission emanating from single quantum dots as a function of distance from the apex of a gold-coated cantilever tip. As well as fluorescence quenching at close proximity to the tip, we found a nonlinear and nonmonotonic distance dependence of the fluorescence emission. To confirm and interpret our findings we performed calculations on the basis of a simplified multiple multipole (MMP) approach, which successfully supports our experimental data. Moreover, we revealed and quantified the influence of interfering processes such as field enhancement confined at interface boundaries, mirror dipoles and (resonant) dipolar coupling.

Summary

The development of novel DNA sequencing methods is one of the ongoing challenges in various fields of research seeking to address the demand for sequence information. However, many of these techniques rely on some kind of labeling or amplification steps. Here we investigate the intrinsic properties of tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) towards the development of a novel, label-free, direct sequencing method. It is known that TERS allows the acquisition of spectral information with high lateral resolution and single-molecule sensitivity. In the presented experiments, single stranded adenine and uracil homopolymers were immobilized on different kinds of substrates (mica and gold nanoplates) and TERS experiments were conducted, which demonstrated the reproducibility of the technique. To elucidate the signal contributions from the specific nucleobases, TERS spectra were collected on single stranded calf thymus DNA with arbitrary sequence. The results show that, while the Raman signals with respect to the four nucleobases differ remarkably, specific markers can be determined for each respective base. The combination of sensitivity and reproducibility shows that the crucial demands for a sequencing procedure are met.

Summary

In order to combine the advantages of fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) on the same chip platform, a nanostructured gold surface with a unique design, allowing both the sensitive detection of fluorescence light together with the specific Raman fingerprint of the fluorescent molecules, was established. This task requires the fabrication of plasmonic arrays that permit the binding of molecules of interest at different distances from the metallic surface. The most efficient SERS enhancement is achieved for molecules directly adsorbed on the metallic surface due to the strong field enhancement, but where, however, the fluorescence is quenched most efficiently. Furthermore, the fluorescence can be enhanced efficiently by careful adjustment of the optical behavior of the plasmonic arrays. In this article, the simultaneous application of SERS and fluorescence, through the use of various gold nanostructured arrays, is demonstrated by the realization of a DNA detection scheme. The results shown open the way to more flexible use of plasmonic arrays in bioanalytics.

Summary

We report a single molecule detection scheme to investigate excitation spectra of single emitters at room temperature. We demonstrate the potential of single emitter photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy by recording excitation spectra of single CdSe nanocrystals over a wide spectral range of 100 nm. The spectra exhibit emission intermittency, characteristic of single emitters. We observe large variations in the spectra close to the band edge, which represent the individual heterogeneity of the observed quantum dots. We also find specific excitation wavelengths for which the single quantum dots analyzed show an increased propensity for a transition to a long-lived dark state. We expect that the additional capability of recording excitation spectra at room temperature from single emitters will enable insights into the photophysics of emitters that so far have remained inaccessible.