scholarly journals Improving Upconversion Efficiency Based on Cross-Patterned Upconversion Material Slot Waveguides on a Silicon Layer

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 520
Author(s):  
Youngsoo Kim ◽  
Kihwan Moon ◽  
Young Lee ◽  
Seokhyeon Hong ◽  
Soon-Hong Kwon

Upconversion (UC) materials can be used to harvest near-infrared (NIR) light and convert it into visible light. Although this improves optical device operating spectral range and efficiency, e.g., solar cells, typical UC material conversion efficiency is too low for practical devices. We propose a cross-patterned slot waveguide constructed from UC material embedded in a high index semiconductor layer to improve UC. Since the slot waveguide mode is induced in the low index UC slot, NIR absorption (~970 nm) increased 25-fold compared with film structures. Furthermore, the spontaneous emission enhancement rate at 660 nm increased 9.6-fold compared to the reference film due to resonance excited in the UC slot (Purcell effect). Thus, the proposed UC slot array structure improved UC efficiency 240-fold considering absorption and emission enhancements. This double resonance UC improvement can be applied to practical optical devices.

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvestre Bongiovanni Abel ◽  
Kevin Riberi ◽  
Claudia R. Rivarola ◽  
Maria Molina ◽  
Cesar A. Barbero

A method for the synthesis of a linear block copolymer (PNIPAM-b-PANI), containing a thermoresponsive block (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM) and a Near Infrared (NIR) light-absorbing block (polyaniline, PANI), is reported. The synthetic approach involves a two-step successive polymerization reaction. First, the radical polymerization of NIPAM is done using 4-aminothiophenol as a chain transfer agent for the obtention of thermosensitive block terminated with an aniline (ANI) moiety. Second, the oxidative polymerization of ANI is initiated in ANI moiety of thermosensitive block to grow the second conductive PANI block. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and FT-IR spectroscopy shows the characteristics peaks of both polymeric blocks revealing the successful copolymerization process. Static Light Scattering (SLS) and UV-Visible combined measurements allowed the determination of the Mw for PNIPAM-b-PANI macromolecule: 5.5 × 105 g mol−1. The resulting copolymer is soluble in water (8.3 g L−1) and in non-aqueous solvents, such as ethanol, formic acid, acetonitrile, and others. Both polymer blocks chains show the properties of the polymer chains. The block copolymer shows a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at the same temperature (32–34 °C) than PNIPAM, while the copolymer shows pH dependent UV-vis-NIR absorption similar to PANI. The PNIPAM block suffers a coil to globule transition upon NIR light irradiation (785 nm, 100 mW), as shown by turbidimetry and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), due to local heating (more than 9 °C in 12 min) induced by the NIR absorption at the PANI block. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity of PNIPAM-b-PANI thin films is demonstrated (resistivity of 5.3 × 10−4 Ω−1 cm−1), indicating that the PANI block is present in its conductive form.


Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Li ◽  
Ruyi Zhou ◽  
Weili Zhao ◽  
Bo Yu ◽  
Jie Zhou ◽  
...  

Hypoxia significantly compromises the therapeutic performance of photodynamic therapy (PDT) owing to the oxygen level which plays a key role in the production of singlet oxygen (1O2). Herein, the photothermally responsive phase change materials (PCM) are used to encapsulate 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene-functionalized platinum(II)-acetylide conjugated polymer (CP1) with intense near-infrared (NIR) absorption to prepare new 1O2 nanocarriers (CP1-NCs). The 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene moieties in CP1-NCs can trap the 1O2 produced from CP1 under irradiation and form a stable endoperoxide. Then, the endoperoxide undergoes cycloreversion to controllably release 1O2 via the NIR light-triggered photothermal effect of CP1 and controllable phase change of PCM, which can be used for oxygen-independent PDT for hypoxic tumor. Furthermore, the in vivo luminescence imaging-guided synergistic PDT and photothermal therapy showed better efficiency in tumor ablation. The smart design shows the potent promise of CP1-NCs in PCM-controlled and sustainable phototherapy under tumor hypoxic microenvironment, providing new insights for constructing oxygen-independent precise cancer phototherapeutic platform.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-314
Author(s):  
Vilko Žiljak ◽  
Jana Žiljak Gršić ◽  
Denis Jurečić ◽  
Tonči Jeličić

The method of mixing pigments for the printing technology is expanded with the addition of dual states in security graphics. Near-infrared spectroscopy of colorants used in the offset technique has brought about the concept of targeted design by a selective use of colorants that are visible in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. High-security documents have been observed in the NIR light based on twin colorants which are differentiated according to their NIR absorption in the range from 800 to 1000 nm. New procedures have been developed based on the innovative creation of documents with hidden information. Two graphics are combined with mutating screen elements. A mathematical definition of the new printing screen and an algorithm in PostScript are given. The designer plans and creates graphics, which originate from the twin colorants, by using the INFRAREDESIGN® method. The dual design was investigated using visual and infrared cameras for the forensic area. The components of colorants are determined by the spectroscopy of light absorption with filters in the visual and NIR spectrum.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Stafford ◽  
Dowon Ahn ◽  
Emily Raulerson ◽  
Kun-You Chung ◽  
Kaihong Sun ◽  
...  

Driving rapid polymerizations with visible to near-infrared (NIR) light will enable nascent technologies in the emerging fields of bio- and composite-printing. However, current photopolymerization strategies are limited by long reaction times, high light intensities, and/or large catalyst loadings. Improving efficiency remains elusive without a comprehensive, mechanistic evaluation of photocatalysis to better understand how composition relates to polymerization metrics. With this objective in mind, a series of methine- and aza-bridged boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives were synthesized and systematically characterized to elucidate key structure-property relationships that facilitate efficient photopolymerization driven by visible to NIR light. For both BODIPY scaffolds, halogenation was shown as a general method to increase polymerization rate, quantitatively characterized using a custom real-time infrared spectroscopy setup. Furthermore, a combination of steady-state emission quenching experiments, electronic structure calculations, and ultrafast transient absorption revealed that efficient intersystem crossing to the lowest excited triplet state upon halogenation was a key mechanistic step to achieving rapid photopolymerization reactions. Unprecedented polymerization rates were achieved with extremely low light intensities (< 1 mW/cm<sup>2</sup>) and catalyst loadings (< 50 μM), exemplified by reaction completion within 60 seconds of irradiation using green, red, and NIR light-emitting diodes.


Nanoscale ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsong Xiong ◽  
Qinghuan Bian ◽  
Shuijin Lei ◽  
Yatian Deng ◽  
Kehan Zhao ◽  
...  

Near-infrared (NIR) light induced photothermal cancer therapy using nanomaterials as photothermal agents has attracted considerable research interest over the past few years. As the key factor in the photothermal therapy...


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 756
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar Mahata ◽  
Ranjit De ◽  
Kang Taek Lee

Due to the unique properties of lanthanide-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNP) under near-infrared (NIR) light, the last decade has shown a sharp progress in their biomedicine applications. Advances in the techniques for polymer, dye, and bio-molecule conjugation on the surface of the nanoparticles has further expanded their dynamic opportunities for optogenetics, oncotherapy and bioimaging. In this account, considering the primary benefits such as the absence of photobleaching, photoblinking, and autofluorescence of UCNPs not only facilitate the construction of accurate, sensitive and multifunctional nanoprobes, but also improve therapeutic and diagnostic results. We introduce, with the basic knowledge of upconversion, unique properties of UCNPs and the mechanisms involved in photon upconversion and discuss how UCNPs can be implemented in biological practices. In this focused review, we categorize the applications of UCNP-based various strategies into the following domains: neuromodulation, immunotherapy, drug delivery, photodynamic and photothermal therapy, bioimaging and biosensing. Herein, we also discuss the current emerging bioapplications with cutting edge nano-/biointerfacing of UCNPs. Finally, this review provides concluding remarks on future opportunities and challenges on clinical translation of UCNPs-based nanotechnology research.


Author(s):  
Jiaxin Shen ◽  
Dandan Chen ◽  
Ye Liu ◽  
Guoyang Gao ◽  
Zhihe Liu ◽  
...  

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising method for cancer therapy and also may initiate unexpected damages to normal cells and tissues. Herein, we developed a near-infrared (NIR) light-activatable nanophotosensitizer, which...


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 2531-2538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Chee Tan ◽  
Jackie Y. Ying ◽  
Gan Moog Chow

Near infrared (NIR) absorbing nanoparticles synthesized by the reduction of HAuCl4 with Na2S exhibited absorption bands at ∼530 nm, and in the NIR region of 650–1100 nm. The NIR optical properties were not found to be related to the earlier proposed Au2S–Au core-shell microstructure in previous studies. From a detailed study of the structure and microstructure of as-synthesized particles in this work, S-containing, Au-rich, multiply-twinned nanoparticles were found to exhibit NIR absorption. They consisted of amorphous AuxS (where x = 2), mostly well mixed within crystalline Au, with a small degree of surface segregation of S. Therefore, NIR absorption was likely due to interfacial effects on particle polarization from the introduction of AuxS into Au particles, and not the dielectric confinement of plasmons associated with a core-shell microstructure.


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