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The emerging ultrawide-bandgap AlGaN alloy system holds promise for the development of advanced materials in the next generation of power semiconductor and UV optoelectronic devices. Within this context, heterostructures based on III-nitrides are very popular in view of their applications as electronic and optoelectronic components. AlGaN-based deep UV emitters are gaining visibility due to their disinfection capabilities. Likewise, high electron mobility transistors are attracting increasing attention owing to their superior electron transport which yields high-speed and high-power applications. These devices are conventionally made of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown on foreign substrates. However, structural defects, including stress induced by a mismatch in unit cell parameters and the presence of dislocations, can not only decrease the efficiency of the light emitters (by facilitating the non-radiative recombination of electron–hole pairs), but also impede electron mobility within the two-dimensional electron gas at the AlGaN/GaN interface. Therefore, the significance of obtaining high-quality AlGaN layers becomes evident. Including a thin AlN interlayer between the GaN buffer layer and AlGaN is a possible answer to address these drawbacks. Not only do we show that a thin AlN layer, approximately ≤3 nm in thickness, between the GaN buffer and AlGaN layers, is effective in decreasing the dislocation densities in the AlGaN layer by around 30%, but also this is responsible for an increase in the electron mobility (approximately 33%) compared to a classical AlGaN/GaN heterostructure. Additionally, the resulting heterostructure exhibits better optical quality, with a 7-fold increase in intensity as well as a 20% reduction in full-width at half-maximum in the AlGaN emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The screening and early diagnosis of diseases are crucial for a patient's treatment to be successful and to improve their survival rate, especially for cancer. The development of non-invasive analytical methods able to detect the biomarkers of pathologies is a critical point to define a successful treatment and a good outcome. This study extensively reviews the electrochemical methods used for the development of biosensors in a liquid biopsy, owing to their ability to provide a rapid response, precise detection, and low detection limits. We also discuss new developments in electrochemical biosensors, which can improve the specificity and sensitivity of standard analytical procedures. Electrochemical biosensors demonstrate remarkable sensitivity in detecting minute quantities of analytes, encompassing proteins, nucleic acids, and circulating tumor cells, even within challenging matrices such as urine, serum, blood, and various other body fluids. Among the various detection techniques used for the detection of cancer biomarkers, even in the picogram range, voltammetric sensors are deeply discussed in this review because of their advantages and technical characteristics. This widespread utilization stems from their ability to facilitate the quantitative detection of ions and molecules with exceptional precision. A comparison of each electrochemical technique is discussed to assist with the selection of appropriate analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral lattice modes are hybrid states arising from the chiral plasmonic particles assembled in ordered arrays with opportune periodicity. These resonances exhibit dependence on excitation handedness, and their observation in plasmonic lattices is strictly related to the chiroptical features of the fundamental plasmonic unit. Here, the emergence of chiral surface lattice resonances (c‐SLRs) is shown in properly engineered arrays of nanohelices (NHs), fully three dimensional (3D) chiral nano‐objects fabricated by focused ion beam processing. By tuning the relative weight of plasmonic and photonic components in the hybrid mode, the physical mechanism of strong diffractive coupling leading to the emergence of the lattice modes is analyzed, opening the way to the engineering of chiral plasmonic systems for sensing applications. In particular, a coupling regime is identified where the combination of a large intrinsic circular dichroism (CD) of the plasmonic resonance with a well‐defined balance between the photonic quality factor (Q factor) and the plasmonic field enhancement (M) maximizes the capability of the system to discriminate refractive index (RI) changes in the surrounding medium. The results lay the foundation for exploiting CD in plasmonic lattices to high performance refractometric sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine control of the chiral light–matter interaction at the nanoscale, by exploiting designed metamaterial architecture, represents a cutting‐edge craft in the field of biosensing, quantum, and classic nanophotonics. Recently, artificially engineered 3D nanohelices demonstrate programmable wide chiroptical properties by tuning materials and architecture, but fundamental diffractive aspects that are at the origin of chiral resonances still remain elusive. Here, a novel concept of a 3D chiral metacrystal, where the chiroptical properties are finely tuned by in‐plane and out‐of‐plane diffractive coupling, is proposed. Different chiral dipolar modes can be excited along the helix arms, generating far field optical resonances and radiation pattern with in‐plane side lobes, and suggesting that a combination of efficient dipole excitation and diffractive coupling matching controls the collective oscillations among the neighbor helices. The proposed concept of compact chiral metacrystal can be suitable for integration with quantum emitters and open perspectives in novel schemes of enantiomeric detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine control of the chiral light–matter interaction at the nanoscale, by exploiting designed metamaterial architecture, represents a cutting‐edge craft in the field of biosensing, quantum, and classic nanophotonics. Recently, artificially engineered 3D nanohelices demonstrate programmable wide chiroptical properties by tuning materials and architecture, but fundamental diffractive aspects that are at the origin of chiral resonances still remain elusive. Here, a novel concept of a 3D chiral metacrystal, where the chiroptical properties are finely tuned by in‐plane and out‐of‐plane diffractive coupling, is proposed. Different chiral dipolar modes can be excited along the helix arms, generating far field optical resonances and radiation pattern with in‐plane side lobes, and suggesting that a combination of efficient dipole excitation and diffractive coupling matching controls the collective oscillations among the neighbor helices. The proposed concept of compact chiral metacrystal can be suitable for integration with quantum emitters and open perspectives in novel schemes of enantiomeric detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we investigate in detail the complex morphological, structural and chemical profile of a III–V multistep quantum dot (QD) system grown by molecular beam epitaxy and employed for the realization of enlarged bandgap intermediate band solar cells (IBSCs). The peculiar multistep design, used during the QD growth for the band-gap engineering of the IBSCs and involving a gradual compositional change from quaternary (AlInGaAs) to ternary (InGaAs) and binary (InAs) compounds, affects the morphological, chemical and structural properties of the QDs and then the electro-optical behavior of the IBSC device. These properties are assessed by combining and comparing scanning transmission electron microscopy experiments, based on high angle annular dark field imaging, with strain analysis and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The analysis demonstrates defect-free QDs embedded in the AlGaAs matrix, with a well-defined shape and faceting. The results of the STEM experiments are correlated with the complex carrier dynamics and electro-optical properties of the solar cells, showing the potential of the proposed structure for further improvement in the design of new IBSCs, by virtue of an extremely confined strain field and high energy barrier characterizing our QD system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micromixers are essential components in lab-on-a-chip devices, of which the low efficiency can limit many bio-application studies. Effective mixing with automation capabilities is still a crucial requirement. In this paper, we present a method to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fluidic mixer by combining computer-aided design (CAD), micromilling technology, and experimental application via manipulating fluids and nanoparticles. The entire platform consists of three microfabricated layers with a bottom reservoir-shaped microchannel, a central serpentine channel, and a through-hole for interconnection and an upper layer containing inlets and outlet. The sealing process of the three layers and the high-precision and customizable methods used for fabrication ensure the realization of the monolithic 3D architecture. This provides buried running channels able to perform passive chaotic mixing and dilution functions, thanks to a portion of the pathway in common between the reservoir and serpentine layers. The possibility to plug-and-play micropumping systems allows us to easily demonstrate the feasibility and working features of our device for tracking the mixing and dilution performances of the micromixer by using colored fluids and fluorescent nanoparticles as the proof of concept. Exploiting the good transparency of the PMMA, spatial liquid composition and better control over reaction variables are possible, and the real-time monitoring of experiments under a fluorescence microscope is also allowed. The tools shown in this paper are easily integrable in more complex lab-on-chip platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]