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Optomechanics deals with the control and applications of mechanical effects of light that stems from the redistribution of photon momenta in light scattering. Here, we investigate, analytically and numerically, optical forces on polarizable particles in proximity of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials. We look at the general features of the repulsive-attractive optomechanics from the nano to the microscale exploiting different theoretical methods (dipole approximation, finite elements calculations, transition (T-)matrix). We discuss the role of realistic layered materials, as our ENZ substrate, on optical forces and analyze the influence of composition and shape by studying a range of complex particles (dielectric, core-shell, plasmonic ellipsoids). Physical insights into the results are discussed and future research directions are forecasted. Our results provide new possibilities in exploiting engineered materials and surfaces for the manipulation and tailoring of light-induced forces in optomechanics., Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trapping, and manipulation of objects ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work by Arthur Ashkin in the 1970s, optical tweezers have evolved into sophisticated instruments and have been employed in a broad range of applications in life sciences, physics, and engineering. These include accurate force and torque measurement at the femtonewton level, microrheology of complex fluids, single micro- and nanoparticle spectroscopy, single-cell analysis, and statistical-physics experiments. This roadmap provides insights into current investigations involving optical forces and optical tweezers from their theoretical foundations to designs and setups. It also offers perspectives for applications to a wide range of research fields, from biophysics to space exploration., Comment: 181 pages, 61 figures

Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) are non-exhaust particulate matter generated by road transport means during the mechanical abrasion of tires, brakes and roads. TRWP accumulate on the roadsides and are transported into the aquatic ecosystem during stormwater runoffs. Due to their size (sub-millimetric) and rubber content (elastomers), TRWP are considered microplastics (MPs). While the amount of the MPs polluting the water ecosystem with sizes from ~ 5 μm to more than 100 μm is known, the fraction of smaller particles is unknown due to the technological gap in the detection and analysis of < 5 μm MPs. Here we show that Raman Tweezers, a combination of optical tweezers and Raman spectroscopy, can be used to trap and chemically analyze individual TWRPs in a liquid environment, down to the sub-micrometric scale. Using tire particles mechanically grinded from aged car tires in water solutions, we show that it is possible to optically trap individual sub-micron particles, in a so-called 2D trapping configuration, and acquire their Raman spectrum in few tens of seconds. The analysis is then extended to samples collected from a brake test platform, where we highlight the presence of sub-micrometric agglomerates of rubber and brake debris, thanks to the presence of additional spectral features other than carbon. Our results show the potential of Raman Tweezers in environmental pollution analysis and highlight the formation of nanosized TRWP during wear.

Raman Tweezers (RT) were exploited to trap and characterize polystyrene microbeads floating within a complex medium obtained by the digestion of a mussel which is considered a bioindicator for microplastics pollution.

We report on the use of Raman Tweezers, a combination of Optical Tweezers and Raman Spectroscopy, for the detection and chemical identification of nanometric particles of plastics and car tires fragments dispersed in water, at the single particle level.

Optical printing of metal-nanoparticle-protein complexes in microfluidic chips is of particular interest in view of the potential applications in biomolecular sensing by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS-active aggregates are formed when the radiation pressure pushes the particle-protein complexes on an inert surface, enabling the ultrasensitive detection of proteins down to pM concentration in short times. However, the role of plasmonic resonances in the aggregation process is still not fully clear. Here, we study the aggregation velocity as a function of excitation wavelength and power. We use a model system consisting of complexes formed of gold nanorods featuring two distinct localized plasmon resonances bound with bovine serum albumin. We show that the aggregation speed is remarkably accelerated by 300 or 30% with respect to the off-resonant case if the nanorods are excited at the long-axis or minor-axis resonance, respectively. Power-dependent experiments evidence a threshold below which no aggregation occurs, followed by a regime with a linear increase in the aggregation speed. At powers exceeding 10 mW, we observe turbulence, bubbling, and a remarkable 1 order of magnitude increase in the aggregation speed. Results in the linear regime are interpreted in terms of a plasmon-enhanced optical force that scales as the extinction cross section and determines the sticking probability of the nanorods. Thermoplasmonic effects are invoked to describe the results at the highest power. Finally, we introduce a method for the fabrication of functional SERS substrates on demand in a microfluidic platform that can serve as the detection part in microfluidic bioassays or lab-on-a-chip devices.

Radiation pressure is used to push gold nanorods on multilayer graphene and create hybrid active surfaces for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in liquid. As a proof of concept, ultrasensitive detection of bovine serum albumin is shown and the aggregation kinetics is studied as a function of the irradiation time. We compare the results on graphene with experiments on glass and gold surfaces. Optical aggregation on graphene occurs on time scales of 20 min, ca. 3.5 times slower than on glass. No stable aggregation is obtained on gold. We attribute the differences to the destabilization effect of the standing wave produced on the metallic substrates, due to their higher reflectivity, and to the reduced thermophoretic effects, related to the higher heat dissipation. Despite the slowdown of the aggregation kinetics, the usage of graphene as substrate offers manifold benefits: an almost negligible fluorescence background when using near-infrared light (785 nm), the absence of thermal absorption as well as the possibility to easily functionalize the surface to enhance the affinity with the analytes. Our results enlarge the spectrum of materials that can be used for optical aggregation and SERS detection of biomolecules, highlighting the importance of controlling the physical properties of the surfaces. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

The preparation and characterization of a hybrid composite, based on carbon cloth (CC) matrix functionalized with two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 flakes and MoO3, and its use for developing an electrochemical sensor for the determination of riboflavin (RF) is here reported. The 2D-MoS2-MoO3CC composite was prepared by depositing 2D-MoS2 nanosheets, obtained by liquid phase exfoliation (LPE), on the surface of a carbon cloth fiber network, previously functionalized with a layer of molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3) by radio-frequency magnetron reactive sputtering technique. The 2D-MoS2-MoO3CC composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. An electrochemical sensor has been then fabricated by fixing a slice of the 2D-MoS2-MoO3CC composite on the working electrode of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The 2D-MoS2-MoO3-CC/SPCE sensor display good electrochemical characteristics which have been exploited, for the first time, in the electroanalytical determination of riboflavin (RF). The sensitivity to RF, equal to 0.67 µA mM−1 in the linear range from 2 to 40 µM, and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.5 µM at S/N = 3, demonstrate the promising characteristics of the proposed 2D-MoS2-MoO3-CC/SPCE electrochemical sensor for the determination of riboflavin.

Cosmic dust particles are usually collected in space or in the Earth’s stratosphere and deposited on a substrate to be analysed at large terrestrial facilities. We use Raman tweezers technique for the contacless manypulation of cosmic dust particles, to identify their compositions and to characterize their response to optical forces without any substrate effects, documenting the high potential of this novel technique for space exploration.

We demonstrate a simple enzyme-free electrochemical sensor for tyrosine (Tyr) detection, based on the enhanced catalytical activity of two-dimensional molybdenum disulphide nanosheets (2D-MoS2), prepared by liquid phase exfoliation and deposited on commercial screen-printed carbon and gold electrodes (SPE). We first evaluate the electrochemical performances of the sensor by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in phosphate buffer solutions (PBS; pH = 7) as a function of the chemical nature and microscale texture of the working electrode, as well as the operating potential window. Results show that the modified-carbon (2D-MoS2-SPCE) and gold (2D-MoS2-SPAuE) electrodes display various anodic and cathodic peaks, whose potential and intensity depend on the potential window, electrode nature and 2D-MoS2 loading. 2D-MoS2 SPE electrodes are finally tested for voltammetric and amperometric detection of tyrosine. We show that 2D-MoS2-SPCE provide the best results, reaching a maximum sensitivity of 1580 μA mM−1 cm−2 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 μM computed at a S/N = 3. The proposed method shows satisfactory results also for the detection of tyrosine in a real food integrator sample. To our best knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the use of 2D-MoS2 for the electrochemical determination of tyrosine.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (2DMX(2)) are materials with unique optoelectronic properties, high surface-to-volume ratio, and high carrier mobility. The combination of noble metal nanoparticles (MNPs) with 2DMX(2) opens new avenues in conceiving more efficient plasmonic sensors, allowing one to optimize both electromagnetic and chemical signal enhancement. Photoinduced enhanced Raman spectroscopy (PIERS) exploits the electron migration from semiconductors to MNPs, upon UV light irradiation, to further boost the chemical enhancement in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of molecules deposited on hybrid 2DMX(2)-MNP nanostructures. Here, we propose a new PIERS sensor architecture based on tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets produced by liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) and functionalized with citrate-stabilized Au MPNs. Electron injection from WS2 to AuNPs is observed when the Au@WS2 is exposed to ultraviolet light, yielding an increase of the charge carriers' density approximate to 1.8%. The PIERS sensor performances are tested by detecting 4-mercaptobenzoic acid at a concentration of 10 mu M. The overall PIERS signal enhancement is similar to 10(6), whereas the photoactivation of WS2 yields a signal improvement of factor 4 with respect to SERS from Au@WS2 before UV irradiation. Our sensor is of low cost, easy to fabricate, and has the potential to detect biomolecules and chemical molecules at trace levels.

In recent years, considerable effort has been devoted to the synthesis and characterization of two-dimensional materials. Liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) represents a simple, large-scale method to exfoliate layered materials down to mono- and few-layer flakes. In this context, the contactless trapping, characterization, and manipulation of individual nanosheets hold perspectives for increased accuracy in flake metrology and the assembly of novel functional materials. Here, we use optical forces for high-resolution structural characterization and precise mechanical positioning of nanosheets of hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide, and tungsten disulfide obtained by LPE. Weakly optically absorbing nanosheets of boron nitride are trapped in optical tweezers. The analysis of the thermal fluctuations allows a direct measurement of optical forces and the mean flake size in a liquid environment. Measured optical trapping constants are compared with T-matrix light scattering calculations to show a quadratic size scaling for small size, as expected for a bidimensional system. In contrast, strongly absorbing nanosheets of molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide are not stably trapped due to the dominance of radiation pressure over the optical trapping force. Thus, optical forces are used to pattern a substrate by selectively depositing nanosheets in short times (minutes) and without any preparation of the surface. This study will be useful for improving ink-jet printing and for a better engineering of optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional materials.

We demonstrate optical trapping of plasmonic silica-gold mesocapsules and their use as local SERS probes in Raman tweezers. These novel hybrid dielectric-metal particles, designed for optoplasmonic applications, are mesoscopic porous silica shells embedding gold nanospheres in their inner wall. We observe a high trapping efficiency due to plasmon-enhanced optical trapping of the gold component. Furthermore, we develop an accurate model of optical trapping of this hybrid system in the T-matrix framework studying how the plasmon-enhanced optical forces scale with gold nanoparticle number in the mesocapsule. The relevance of effective optical trapping in hollow plasmonic mesocapsules is twofold for detection and delivery technologies: positioning and activation processes. In fact, the presented system allows for the opportunity to drag and locate cargo mesocapsules embedded with specific molecules that can be activated and released in situ when a precise localization is required. (Graph Presented).

Our understanding of the fate and distribution of micro- and nano- plastics in the marine environment is limited by the intrinsic difficulties of the techniques currently used for the detection, quantification, and chemical identification of small particles in liquid (light scattering, vibrational spectroscopies, and optical and electron microscopies). Here we introduce Raman Tweezers (RTs), namely optical tweezers combined with Raman spectroscopy, as an analytical tool for the study of micro- and nanoplastics in seawater. We show optical trapping and chemical identification of sub-20 mu m plastics, down to the 50 nm range. Analysis at the single particle level allows us to unambiguously discriminate plastics from organic matter and mineral sediments, overcoming the capacities of standard Raman spectroscopy in liquid, intrinsically limited to ensemble measurements. Being a microscopy technique, RTs also permits one to assess the size and shapes of particles (beads, fragments, and fibers), with spatial resolution only limited by diffraction. Applications are shown on both model particles and naturally aged environmental samples, made of common plastic pollutants, including polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, and polystyrene, also in the presence of a thin ecocorona. Coupled to suitable extraction and concentration protocols, RTs have the potential to strongly impact future research on micro and nanoplastics environmental pollution, and enable the understanding of the fragmentation processes on a multiscale level of aged polymers.

Our understanding of the fate and distribution of micro- and nano- plastics in the marine environment and their impact on the biota compartment is limited by the intrinsic difficulties of conventional analytical techniques (light scattering, FT-IR, Raman, optical and electron microscopies) in the detection, quantification and chemical identification of small particles in liquid samples. Here we propose the use of optical tweezers, a technique awarded in 2018 with the Nobel prize, as an analytical tool for the study of micro- and nano- plastics in sea water. In particular, we exploit the combination of optical tweezers with Raman spectroscopy (Raman Tweezers, RTs) to optically trap plastic particles with sizes from tens of µm down to 90 nm and unambiguously reveal their chemical composition. RTs applications are shown on particles made of the most common plastic pollutants, including polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and polystyrene, that are artificially fragmented and aged directly in seawater. RTs allow us to assess the size and shapes of microparticles (beads, fragments, fibers) and can be applied to investigate particles covered with organic layers. Furthermore, operating at the single particle level, RTs enable unambiguous distinction of plastic particles from marine microorganisms and seawater minerals, overcoming the capacities of standard Raman spectroscopy in liquid, limited to average measurements. Coupled to suitable extraction and concentration protocols, RTs could have a strong impact in the study of the fate of micro and nanoplastics in marine environment, as well as in the understanding of the fragmentation processes on a multi-scale level.

Silicon nanowires are held and manipulated in controlled optical traps based on counter-propagating beams focused by low numerical aperture lenses. The double-beam configuration compensates light scattering forces enabling an in-depth investigation of the rich dynamics of trapped nanowires that are prone to both optical and hydrodynamic interactions. Several polarization configurations are used, allowing the observation of optical binding with different stable structure as well as the transfer of spin and orbital momentum of light to the trapped silicon nanowires. Accurate modeling based on Brownian dynamics simulations with appropriate optical and hydrodynamic coupling confirms that this rich scenario is crucially dependent on the non-spherical shape of the nanowires. Such an increased level of optical control of multiparticle structure and dynamics open perspectives for nanofluidics and multi-component light-driven nanomachines.

Cylindrical vector beams are used to improve back scattering detection in photonic force microscopy measurements near a dielectric surface. We compare back focal plane interferometry signals acquired on a quadrant photodiode when optical trapping a latex microparticle with gaussian, radial, and azimuthal beams. We find a consistent reduction of the interference pattern generated by the superposition of light backscattered by the trapped particle and backreflected by the dielectric surface. We contrast experimental findings with a model based on light scattering theory in the T - matrix formalism. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulphide nanosheets (2D-MoS2) were prepared by liquid-phase exfoliation and used to modify screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE), in order to develop an electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA) and tyrosine (Tyr) in presence of uric acid (UA). To demonstrate the layered morphology, the synthesized molybdenum disulphide nanostructures, have been characterized by Raman and SEM in both liquid dispersion and after deposition on SPCE. The performances of the 2D-MoS2-SPCE electrode have been tested and optimized in terms of sensitivity, reaching high sensitivity values of 1044 μA mM−1 cm−2 for DA and 321 μA mM−1 cm−2 for Tyr, selectivity against UA and high stability. The simultaneous detection of these biomolecules is the first study so far reported with the use of 2D-MoS2-based sensors. The promising characteristics of the developed electrodes suggest 2D-MoS2 as a versatile, low cost and easy to produce material for the next generation of electrochemical sensors of a variety of important biomolecules.

Optical tweezers, tools based on strongly focused light, enable optical trapping, manipulation, and characterisation of a wide range of microscopic and nanoscopic materials. In the limiting cases of spherical particles either much smaller or much larger than the trapping wavelength, the force in optical tweezers separates into a conservative gradient force, which is proportional to the light intensity gradient and responsible for trapping, and a non-conservative scattering force, which is proportional to the light intensity and is generally detrimental for trapping, but fundamental for optical manipulation and laser cooling. For non-spherical particles or at intermediate (meso)scales, the situation is more complex and this traditional identification of gradient and scattering force is more elusive. Moreover, shape and composition can have dramatic consequences for optically trapped particle dynamics. Here, after an introduction to the theory and practice of optical forces with a focus on the role of shape and composition, we give an overview of some recent applications to biology, nanotechnology, spectroscopy, stochastic thermodynamics, critical Casimir forces, and active matter.

We study the rotational dynamics of solid chiral and birefringent microparticles induced by elliptically polarized laser light in optical tweezers. We find that both reflection of left circularly polarized light and residual linear retardance affect the particle dynamics. The degree of ellipticity of laser light needed to induce rotations is found. The experimental results are compared with analytical calculations of the transfer of angular moment from elliptically polarized light to chiral birefringent particles.

Strategies for in-liquid molecular detection via Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) are currently based on chemically-driven aggregation or optical trapping of metal nanoparticles in presence of the target molecules. Such strategies allow the formation of SERS-active clusters that efficiently embed the molecule at the “hot spots” of the nanoparticles and enhance its Raman scattering by orders of magnitude. Here we report on a novel scheme that exploits the radiation pressure to locally push gold nanorods and induce their aggregation in buffered solutions of biomolecules, achieving biomolecular SERS detection at almost neutral pH. The sensor is applied to detect non-resonant amino acids and proteins, namely Phenylalanine (Phe), Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and Lysozyme (Lys), reaching detection limits in the μg/mL range. Being a chemical free and contactless technique, our methodology is easy to implement, fast to operate, needs small sample volumes and has potential for integration in microfluidic circuits for biomarkers detection.

Optical forces are used to push and aggregate gold nanorods onto several substrates creating surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active hot spots for Raman-based identification of proteins. By monitoring the increase of the protein SERS signal, we observe different aggregation times for different curvatures of the substrates. The slower aggregation dynamics on curved surfaces is justified by a simple geometrical model. In particular, this technique is used to decorate three-dimensional microstructures and to quickly realize hybrid micro/nanosensors for highly sensitive detection of biological material directly in a liquid environment. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America

Due to its exceptional physical properties, synthetic diamond is an ideal material for the realization of UV and X-ray detectors to be used for the characterization of laser-generated plasmas. Diamond detectors are able to operate at high temperatures and in the presence of high fluxes of ionizing radiation, where traditional silicon-based detectors usually fail. In this paper, we report on Raman and electro-optical characterization of a structure consisting of intrinsic diamond/boron-doped diamond homoepitaxially grown by chemical vapor deposition onto a commercial high pressure high temperature Ib-type diamond substrate using a 1% CH4/H2 gas mixture. A metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) diode was obtained by thermally evaporating an aluminum contact on the growth surface of the intrinsic layer. The detection capability of this device operating in transverse configuration was measured in the deep UV spectral range. The device sensitivity has been estimated at different biasing voltages and at two wavele...

UV/vis absorption and time-resolved fluorescence measurements on alcoholic solutions of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS(4)) in neutral and acid form have been performed as a function of the alcohol polarity. These solutions show a peculiar behavior that mimics porphyrin in confined water solutions. In alcohols, TPPS(4) exhibits a metastable phase showing the formation of new species in analogy with the confined water environment of AOT microemulsions. Various species have been detected at different pH values and on aging the solutions. Under neutral pH conditions, the porphyrin is present as free base monomer (S415) with a small amount of H-dimeric species (S400). On aging, the S415 leads to the formation of a new species (S423), which has been assigned as a J-type dimer of the neutral porphyrin. The species S400 and S423 are not present in bulk water solution but are typical of TPPS(4) in confined water. On decreasing pH, the S415 almost immediately converts into the diacid form (S438), which evolves toward red-shifted J-aggregates (S490) and blue-shifted H-aggregates (S420). On decreasing alcohol polarity, the kinetic evolution from fresh to aged solution and from the monomeric diacid species to H- and J-aggregates speeds up. Exploiting the amphiphilic character of short chain alcohols and widely varying their polarity, we were able to enhance in bulk conditions the peculiar behavior observed in close proximity to the microemulsion wall.

The crucial role of precursor gas (PG) and of catalyst support (CS) in the growth of multi-walled C nanotubes (MWCNTs) by iron-catalysed chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is evidenced. This is accomplished by comparing structural and morphological properties of MWCNTs synthesised by the use of different PGs (ethane and isobutane) and CSs (silica and alumina). The results of analyses, carried out on catalysts and C deposits by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy (RS), thermo-gravimetry (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), demonstrate that Al2O3-supported catalysts are more efficient than SiO2-supported ones in decomposing hydrocarbons. The use of i-C4H10 as PG allows reducing Fe-encapsulation and improving yield (YC) and selectivity, so as the large-scale production (YC > 900 wt.%) of high-quality nanotubes can be operated even at moderate reaction temperature (600 °C) after proper calibration of Fe-load (29 wt.%) and catalyst reduction temperature (500 °C).

Wetting phenomena in porous silicon layers are experimentally investigated by Raman scattering. The experimental results show a reversible blue-shift of Raman spectra of wetted porous silicon layers with respect to the unperturbed layers. We ascribe the shift to a compressive stress due to the increased lattice mismatch between the porous silicon layer and the bulk silicon substrate in wetting conditions.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesised by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) in a C 2 H 6 +H 2 atmosphere over 20%Fe/SiO 2 catalysts. The influence of synthesis temperature, flow-rate and flow ratio of the reactant gases, the amount of catalyst employed and the catalyst reduction temperature on the abundance and crystalline perfection of product was analysed by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The changes in yield and crystalline perfection, as monitored by Raman G' band relative intensity, were correlated with the variations of synthesis temperature, the diverse catalyst surface area and H 2 /C supply ratio attained by varying growth conditions. In the range examined, the lowering of catalyst reduction-temperature turns out to be beneficial for both yield and crystalline perfection of the MWCNTs. All the other growth parameters produce opposite effects so the best compromise has to be sought.

In this paper, porous silicon (PS) layers of different porosity and thickness have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The estimation of built-in strain in PS is reported. Moreover, wetting phenomena in PS layers have been also investigated. The results prove a reversible blue shift of Raman spectra of wetted PS layers with respect to unperturbed layers. We ascribe the shift to a compressive stress due to the increased lattice mismatch between the PS layer and the bulk silicon substrate in wetting conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This work shows that a set of quality indicators (QI), able to reliably monitor the basic characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNT) grown by of Fe-catalysed chemical vapour deposition (CVD), can be derived from Raman spectroscopy (RS) measurements. Multi-walled nanotubes, prepared at 750 °C in C2H6+H2 mixture over 20%Fe/SiO2 catalyst, are demonstratively considered. By quantitatively analysing the spectra measured in the 100-3100 cm−1 range, information is obtained on level of defectiveness and degree of smoothness of C deposits, as well as, on relative amount of Fe-nanoparticles incorporated. The effect of the growth atmosphere composition on the quality of synthesis products is investigated. Indications provided by RS are confirmed by the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses. Raman QI agreeably correlate with the average growth rate of the carbonaceous species.

The detection properties of heteropitaxial (polycrystalline, pCVD) and homoepitaxial (single crystal, scCVD) diamond films grown by microwave chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in the Laboratories of Roma “Tor Vergata” University are reported. The pCVD diamond detectors were tested with α -particles from different sources and 12 C ions produced by 15 MV Tandem accelerator at Southern National Laboratories (LNS) in Catania (Italy). pCVDs were also used to monitor 14 MeV neutrons produced by the D-T plasma at Joint European Torus (JET), Culham, U.K. The limit of pCVDs is the poor energy resolution. To overcome this problem, we developed scCVD diamonds using the same reactor parameters that optimized pCVD diamonds. scCVD were grown on a low cost (1 0 0) HPHT single crystal substrate. A detector 110 μ m thick was tested under α -particles and under 14 MeV neutron irradiation. The charge collection efficiency spectrum measured under irradiation with a triple α -particle source shows three clearly resolved peaks, with an energy resolution of about 1.1 % . The measured spectra under neutron irradiation show a well separated C ( n , α 0 ) 9 Be 12 reaction peak with an energy spread of 0.5 MeV for 14.8 MeV neutrons and 0.3 MeV for 14.1 MeV neutrons, which are fully compatible with the energy spread of the incident neutron beams.

Optical trapping of silver nanoplatelets obtained with a simple room temperature chemical synthesis technique is reported. Trap spring constants are measured for platelets with different diameters to investigate the size-scaling behaviour. Experimental data are compared with models of optical forces based on the dipole approximation and on electromagnetic scattering within a T-matrix framework. Finally, we discuss applications of these nanoplatelets for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Optical trapping of hybrid core–shell gold–polymer particles is studied. Optical forces are measured for different gold core size and polymer shell thickness, revealing how a polymer shell increases the trapping efficiency with respect to the bare gold nanoparticles. Data are in agreement with calculations of optical trapping based on electromagnetic scattering theory in the T-matrix approach. The scaling behaviour of optical forces with respect to the ratio between polymer layer thickness and the whole particle radius is found and discussed.

This work reports on the development and characterization of bi-dimensional deep-UV sensor arrays based on synthetic diamond to address the requirements of space-born astrophysical experiments. The material was synthesized at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” where both heteroepitaxial polycrystalline diamond films and homoepitaxial single-crystal diamonds are grown using a tubular MWCVD reactor. The quality of chemical vapour deposited diamond was characterized by cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy and thermally stimulated currents. Then, suitable samples were selected and used to fabricate photoconductive single-pixel and 2D array devices by evaporating metal contacts on the growth surface. The electro-optical characterization of the devices was carried out in a wide spectral region, ranging from 120 to 2400 nm. A deuterium lamp and a 0.5 m vacuum monochromator were used to measure the detector responsivity under continuous monochromatic irradiation in the 120–250 nm spectral range, while an optical parametric oscillator tunable laser producing 5 ns pulses was used as light source from 210 up to 2400 nm. Time response, signal-to-noise ratio, responsivity and visible rejection factor were evaluated and the results are hereafter summarized.

Polycrystalline (pCVD) and single crystal (scCVD) diamond films grown from Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), if sufficiently pure at Raman analysis, are very good materials for beam or flux monitors inside accelerators or nuclear reactors. This is because they are very hard to damage in high radiation fields and very resistant to high temperatures. Films of pCVD diamond are, however, not so good as spectroscopy detectors due to inhomogeneities induced by their growth in grains with the consequent presence of grain boundaries which worsen their energy resolution. The latter can be significantly improved by growing scCVD diamond films onto HPHT synthetic diamond substrates. We have shown that it is possible to measure the density of defects inside diamond specimens using as probes suitable penetrating nuclear radiations. With the preliminary results reported here we'll show that, bombarding CVD diamond films grown at Roma 'Tor Vergata' with energetic protons and 4 He, Li-6 and C-12 ions produced in the accelerators of Catania laboratories, the pulse height defects are higher than those in silicon detectors and likewise well described by a power law in the deposited energy. Furthermore, we'll show that pulse heights for the same particles seem to depend on the duration of the measurement, thus exhibiting a sort of depolarization of the insulator when exposed to the electric voltage which makes it a particle detector. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The performance of detectors based on CVD diamond films strongly depends on the material quality, which, in turn, is extremely sensitive to even slight variations of the deposition conditions. In this work, a careful Raman and photoluminescence (PL) study has been carried out on diamond films grown on Si substrates by microwave plasma CVD under nominally identical deposition conditions, but exhibiting, quite surprisingly, different detection sensitivity. Micro-PL measurements performed on the growth surface and on the cross-section of the samples have shown higher incorporation of Si impurities in films having lower detection performance. Optical microscopy on the nucleation side of such films has evidenced a lower nucleation density, leading to diamond grains of greater size, but also to higher incorporation of Si atoms. Thus, a greater grain size does not necessarily guarantee a higher film quality, if the nucleation density is low. On the basis of these results, the nucleation density is identified as the 'hidden' variable in the growth process of our CVD diamond films, determining, ultimately, their detection sensitivity.

The mid-range structure of glasses of the glass-forming system xNb(2)O(5)-(60 - x)P(2)O(5)-40Na(2)O, with x varying from 0 to 40, has been investigated by Raman spectroscopy and electro-optical Kerr measurements. It was found that the mid-range inhomogeneities in the glasses under study vary with x and their compositions and structures dramatically differ from the gross glass composition. It is shown that inhomogeneities with the 8NaNbO(3) + (Nb(2)O(5)·P(2)O(5)) composition are responsible for the electro-optical sensitivity of the glasses. The electro-optical structural elements of the inhomogeneities of this type are assumed to be fragments of the quasicubic lattice of crystalline NaNbO(3) demonstrating a rather high electro-optic Kerr coefficient. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the concepts of constant stoichiometric groupings and crystal motifs.

We present the result of an investigation into the optical trapping of micropaticles using laser beams with a spatially inhomogeneous polarization (cylindrical vector beams). We perform three-dimensional tracking of the Brownian fluctuations in position of a trapped particle and extract the trap spring constants. We characterize the trap geometry by the aspect ratio of spring constants in the directions transverse and parallel to the beam propagation direction and evaluate this figure of merit as a function of polarization angle. We show that the additional degree of freedom present in cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) allows us to control the optical trap strength and geometry by adjusting the polarization of the trapping beam only. Experimental results are compared with a theoretical model of optical trapping using CVBs derived from electromagnetic scattering theory in the T-matrix framework.

The recognition of some globular proteins was carried out in aqueous solution, at micromolar concentrations, by using an uncharged symmetrical cobalt-porphyrin (Co-P). By means of UV/Vis, induced circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques, it was ascertained that the interactions between specific amino acid residues and Co-P occurred on the protein surface. In particular, spectroscopic evidence showed the formation of supramolecular complexes without disruption of the native structure of the proteins and, furthermore, that signal changes were characteristic of each Co-P/protein system, so that they could be used as a highly sensitive analytical tool for protein recognition. The relative association constants were proportional to the protein molecular masses (and then to the number of amino acid residues).

Date of Conference: 14–18 October 2012 Conference name: Frontiers in Optics 2012 We demonstrate a novel mechanism for optical tweezing, where a trapped particle dynamically alters an external cavity quality factor, reduceing the average intensity and photodamage, even employing low-numerical aperture lenses and wide fields-of-view. © OSA 2012.

A rapid method to detect the addition of reconstituted mandarin oils to natural mandarin essential oils is suggested. The method is based on the ratio of the two enantiomers of limonene determined by GC using an on-line coupling of non-chiral and chiral capillary columns. The ratio of (−)-limonene and (+)-limonene in the genuine mandarin oils was 2.2 to 97.8, while in reconstituted oils the same ratio was 13.4 to 86.6. Addition of reconstituted oils increases the ratio of (--) to (+)-limonene in genuine oils enabling the detection of additions of even 5% of reconstituted oils to genuine mandarin oils.

The tetraanionic water soluble meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS4) can be easily embedded into Nafion®, obtaining membranes which exhibit interesting optical properties strongly dependent both on the aggregation extent and on the organic solvent used for the re-cast procedure.

Raman amplification was demonstrated in the early 1970s, but the invention of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) overshadowed the interest in it. Today, Raman scattering has again become a competitive approach for optical amplification because it is only restricted by the pump wavelength and Raman active modes of the gain medium. Puresilica and germanium-doped silica fibres, currently utilized as Raman gain media in telecommunications, have quite low Raman gain coefficients and a limited usable spectral bandwidth of approx. 5 THz. Therefore, the investigation of materials possessing both large Raman gain coefficients and broader spectral bandwidth than fused silica is becoming necessary to satisfy the increasing telecommunications demands.

In this paper, niobium-phosphate glasses doped with rare earths (Er and Sm) are investigated by Raman scattering. The goal of Raman characterization is twofold: (a) to perform a fine structural characterization of the synthesized glasses and (b) to measure the Raman gain coefficient of the samples and to compare it with fused silica. The results reveal the presence of NbO6 octahedra and Nb–O–P–Nb–O mixed chains. A broadening of bandwidth and a significant enhancement (∼24 times) in gain coefficient G with respect to conventional silica glasses are also demonstrated.