Poly(vinyl alcohol) Rehydratable Photonic Crystal Sensor Materials

We developed a new photonic crystal hydrogel material based on the biocompatible polymer poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), which can be reversibly dehydrated and rehydrated, without the use of additional fillers, while retaining the diffraction and swelling properties of polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays (PCCA). This chemically modified PVA hydrogel photonic crystal efficiently diffracts light from the embedded crystalline colloidal array. This diffraction optically reports on volume changes occurring in the hydrogel by shifts in the wavelength of the diffracted light. We fabricated a pH sensor, which demonstrates a 350 nm wavelength shift between pH values of 3.3 and 8.5. We have also fabricated a Pb⁺² sensor, in which pendant crown ether groups bind lead ions. Immobilization of the ions within the hydrogel increases the osmotic pressure due to the formation of a Donnan potential, swelling the hydrogel and shifting the observed diffraction in proportion to the concentration of bound ions. The sensing responses of rehydrated PVA pH and Pb⁺² sensors were similar to that before drying. This reversibility of rehydration enables storage of these hydrogel photonic crystal sensors in the dry state, which makes them much more useful for commercial applications.     

Photoswitchable Spirobenzopyran‐ Based Photochemically Controlled Photonic Crystals

We have developed a photochemically controlled photonic‐crystal material by covalently attaching spiropyran derivatives to polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays (PCCAs). These PCCAs consist of colloidal particles that self‐assemble into crystalline colloidal arrays (CCAs), which are embedded in crosslinked hydrogels. Photoresponsive PCCAs were made two ways: 1) by functionalizing the hydrogel network with spiropyran derivatives, and 2) by functionalizing the colloidal particles with spiropyran derivatives. These materials can diffract light in the UV, visible, or near‐IR spectral regions. The diffraction of the PCCAs is red‐shifted by exciting the spiropyran with UV light. Alternatively, the diffraction is blue‐shifted by exciting the spiropyran with visible irradiation. Thus, this material acts as a memory storage material where information is recorded by illuminating the PCCA and information is read out by measuring the photonic‐crystal diffraction wavelength. UV excitation forms the open spiropyran form while visible excitation forms the closed spiropyran form. The diffraction shifts result from changes in the free energy of mixing of the PCCA system as the spiropyran is photoexcited to its different stable forms.     

Photochemically Controlled Photonic Crystals

We have developed photochemically controlled photonic crystals that may be useful in novel recordable and erasable memories and/or display devices. These materials can operate in the UV, visible, or near‐IR spectral regions. Information is recorded and erased by exciting the photonic crystal with ～ 360 nm UV light or ～ 480 nm visible light. The information recorded is read out by measuring the photonic crystal diffraction wavelength. The active element of the device is an azobenzene‐functionalized hydrogel, which contains an embedded crystalline colloidal array. UV excitation forms cis‐azobenzene while visible excitation forms trans‐azobenzene. The more favorable free energy of mixing of cis‐azobenzene causes the hydrogel to swell and to red‐shift the photonic crystal diffraction. We also observe fast nanosecond, microsecond, and millisecond transient dynamics associated with fast heating lattice constant changes, refractive index changes, and thermal relaxations.     

Stimuli‐Responsive Materials Based on Interpenetrating Polymer Liquid Crystal Hydrogels

Stimuli‐responsive materials based on interpenetrating liquid crystal‐hydrogel polymer networks are fabricated. These materials consist of a cholesteric liquid crystalline network that reflects color and an interwoven poly(acrylic acid) network that provides a humidity and pH response. The volume change in the cross‐linked hydrogel polymer results in a dimensional alteration in the cholesteric network as well, which, in turn, leads to a color change yielding a dual‐responsive photonic material. Furthermore a patterned coating having responsive and static interpenetrating polymer network areas is produced that changes both its surface topography and color.     

Photoinduced Tuning of Optical Stop Bands in Azopolymer Based Inverse Opal Photonic Crystals

Photo‐tunable photonic crystals were prepared from three dimensional (3D) colloidal crystal templates using a photoresponsive azopolymer. For the preparation of azopolymer infiltrated photonic crystals, silica colloidal crystals were fabricated by gravity sedimentation, a self‐assembly technique. The interstitial voids between colloidal particles were filled with azopolymer and azopolymer inverse opals were produced by treatment with aqueous hydrofluoric acid. These photonic crystals exhibited stop bands in their transmission spectra measured in the normal incidence to the (111) plane of face centered cubic (fcc). The photonic bandgap of the azopolymer infiltrated opal and inverse opal could be controlled by the refractive index change due to the photoinduced orientation of azobenzene chromophores. When the azopolymer photonic crystals were irradiated with linearly polarized light, their bandgap positions were shifted to shorter wavelength regions with increasing irradiation time. This behavior experimentally produced a photoinduced orientation of the azobenzene groups in parallel with the incidence of the excitation light. Through such an out‐of‐plane orientation of azo chromophores, parallel to the [111] fcc crystallographic axis, the effective refractive index of the photonic crystal medium was decreased. Therefore, a blue‐shift in bandgap positions was consequently induced with 20–40 nm tuning ranges. The out‐of‐plane orientation was confirmed by angular resolved absorption spectral measurements.     

A Double‐Layer Mechanochromic Hydrogel with Multidirectional Force Sensing and Encryption Capability

Hydrogel‐based soft mechanochromic materials that display colorimetric changes upon mechanical stimuli have attracted wide interest in sensors and display device applications. A common strategy to produce mechanochromic hydrogels is through photonic structures, in which mechanochromism is obtained by strain‐dependent diffraction of light. Here, a distinct concept and simple fabrication strategy is presented to produce luminescent mechanochromic hydrogels based on a double‐layer design. The two layers contain different luminescent species—carbon dots and lanthanide ions—with overlapped excitation spectra and distinct emission spectra. The mechanochromism is rendered by strain‐dependent transmittance of the top‐layer, which regulates light emission from the bottom‐layer to control the overall hydrogel luminescence. An analytical model is developed to predict the initial luminescence color and color changes as a function of uniaxial strain. Finally, this study demonstrates proof‐of‐concept applications of the mechanochromic hydrogel for pressure and contact force sensors as well as for encryption devices.     

Topology design and fabrication of an efficient double 90/spl deg/ photonic Crystal waveguide bend

We have designed and fabricated a novel 90/spl deg/ bend in a photonic crystal waveguide. The design was obtained using topology optimization and the fabricated waveguide displays a bend loss for transverse-electric-polarized light of less than 1 dB per bend in a 200-nm wavelength range.     

Fabrication of a polymeric photonic crystal wavelength splitter using ultra violet embossing technology

We present the design concept and the possibility of UV embossing technology for polymeric photonic crystal functional devices. Our design concept for polymeric photonic crystal devices is to utilize quasi self-collimating effect of photonic crystal, showing a light propagation with poor divergence in photonic crystal region, and a wavelength dependence of light propagation direction in this region. It is possible to realize various functional devices with ultra compact size using photonic crystal, even in the polymeric material with low optical index, as it does not use the photonic bandgap directly. The fabricated final replica has almost no residual polymer, since the use of UV curable polymer with low viscosity and an additional ashing process. These design concept and fabrication technique are quite appropriate to be utilized for mass production of economical optical integrated circuits.     

倾斜底涂法制备聚苯乙烯胶体晶体及其光学特性研究

采用倾斜底涂法将单分散的聚苯乙烯胶体微球自组装生长成为胶体晶体,并用扫描电子显微镜和紫外-可见光分光光度计对其形貌和光学特性进行测量。结果表明,聚苯乙烯微球自组装为面心立方密堆积结构,胶体晶体的光子带隙位于可见光波段。分别对不同胶体颗粒的粒径、悬浮液的浓度、基片倾斜角度及环境温度等制备条件下生成的聚苯乙烯光子晶体样品逐一分类对比,分析了影响光子带隙宽度和深度的因素。     

Study on a novel photonic crystal temperature sensor

In this paper, a model of photonic crystal temperature sensor based on crystal microcavity in a straight photonic crystal waveguide is proposed. The transmission characteristics of light in the sensor under different temperatures are simulated by using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The thermal expansion and thermal-optic effects of silicon are taken into account. The results show that the resonant wavelength of microcavity increases linearly as the temperature rising. The waveleng...     

High-quality SiO2 Colloidal Crystal Fabricated by Controllable Vertical Deposition Method

Monodispersed silica microspheres with diameter of 353 nm were assembled into photonic crystal in ethanol colloidal suspensions of varied silica volume fraction at different temperature and humidity by means of controllable vertical deposition method. The surface morphology and optical properties were studied by SEM and UV-Vis-NIR. It was found that the high quality silica colloidal photonic crystals were obtained from ethanol solutions with environment temperature between 45℃ and 55℃, humidity between 66% and 76%, the volume fraction of microspheres is between 0.8% and 1.5%, The ordered close-packed photonic crystal fabricated by controllable vertical deposition method had the two photonic bandgaps in the visible light band and near infrared band,     

Lattice Constant Effect of Photonic Crystals on the Light Output of Blue Light-Emitting Diodes

Photonic crystal (PC) slabs with triangular lattice constants of 230, 345, 460, and 690 nm have been fabricated onto InGaN–GaN multiquantum-well light-emitting diodes with a wavelength of 461 nm. For the shallow nanoholes in the depth range of 10–38.5 nm, the current–voltage characteristics were not changed but the electroluminescence intensities were enhanced by a factor of 3.5. The light output was most enhanced with the lattice constant corresponding to the wavelength due to the PC diffraction with constructive interference but was suppressed with the lattice constant of the half wavelength by forming a photonic bandgap.      

Flexible Antiswelling Photothermal-Therapy MXene Hydrogel-Based Epidermal Sensor for Intelligent Human–Machine Interfacing

Conductive hydrogel-based epidermal sensors are regarded with broad prospects in bridging the gap between human and machine for personalized healthcare. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, wide sensing range, and reliable cycling stability in hydrogel-based epidermal sensors for ultrasensitive human–machine interfacing, along with brilliant antiswelling capability, and near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered dissociation and drug release for further smart on-demand photothermal therapy. Herein, the facile preparation of a flexible multifunctional epidermal sensor from the elaborately fabricated, highly stretchable, and antiswelling MXene hydrogel is presented. It exhibits high sensitivity, wide sensing range (up to 350% strain), and reliable reproducibility for enabling ultrasensitive human-machine interfacing. It displays excellent antiswelling capability for the hydrogel to avoid expanding the wound due to excessive swelling for further reliable wound therapy. Furthermore, it possesses good biocompatibility and robust photothermal performance for the smart photothermal therapy after healthcare monitoring. Meanwhile, the sensor can be triggered to be softened and partly dissociated under the prolonged NIR light irradiation with the transformation of the temperature-sensitive low-melting-point Agar into a sol state and the partial dissociation in the hydrogel to release the loaded drug on demand for synergistically sterilizing bacteria and efficiently promoting wound healing.     

Cavities of crystal light [photonic crystal microcavities]

This paper presents the characteristics of photonic crystal microcavity light sources. Microcavities with dimensions on the scale of the wavelength of light are being extensively investigated due to their ability to exhibit enhanced spontaneous emission, directional output, and single-mode operation. Photonic crystals, which are the optical analog of semiconductors in electronic devices, are capable of controlling the properties of light by confining photons in one, two, or three dimensions. The technology to fabricate photonic crystals at the optical-wavelength scale (i.e., feature sizes at the submicron scale) has only very recently been achieved. Single or multiple defects in the photonic crystals act as microcavities with dimensions on the order of the wavelength of light and have emerged as the preferred way to obtain defect-free optical microcavities. The authors have been investigating electrically injected photonic crystal microcavities, and these devices are described in this paper. Electrically injected microcavities offer the advantage of possible integration with current optoelectronic circuits and devices. Also, arrays of such devices can be fabricated when electrically controlled. Electrically injected photonic crystal microcavity light sources may also realize high-efficiency single-mode LEDs.     

中红外完全光子带隙Ge反蛋白石三维光子晶体的制备

采用溶剂蒸发对流自组装法将单分散二氧化硅（SiO2）微球组装形成三维有序胶体晶体模板。以锗烷（GeH4）为先驱体气,用等离子增强化学气相沉积法向胶体晶体的空隙中填充高折射率材料Ge。酸洗去除二氧化硅微球,得到Ge反蛋白石三维光子晶体。通过扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪和傅立叶变换显微红外光谱仪对锗反蛋白石的形貌、成分和光学性能进行了表征。结果表明：Ge在SiO2微球空隙内填充致密均匀,得到的锗为多晶态,锗反蛋白石为三维有序多孔结构。锗反蛋白石的测试光谱图有明显的光学反射峰,表现出光子带隙效应。测试的完全光子带隙位于中红外3.4µm处,测试的光学性能与理论计算基本吻合。     

Quantum‐Dot‐Tagged Bioresponsive Hydrogel Suspension Array for Multiplex Label‐Free DNA Detection

A novel hydrogel suspension array, which possesses the joint advantages of quantum‐dot‐encoded technology, bioresponsive hydrogels, and photonic crystal sensors with full multiplexing label‐free DNA detection capability is developed. The microcarriers of the suspension array are quantum‐dot‐tagged DNA‐responsive hydrogel photonic beads. In the case of label‐free DNA detection, specific hybridization of target DNA and the crosslinked single‐stranded DNA in the hydrogel grid will cause hydrogel shrinking, which can be detected as a corresponding blue shift in the Bragg diffraction peak position of the beads that can be used for quantitatively estimating the amount of target DNA. The results of the label‐free DNA detection show that the suspension array has high selectivity and sensitivity with a detection limit of 10^?9 M . This method has the potential to provide low cost, miniaturization, and simple and real‐time monitoring of hybridization reaction platforms for detecting genetic variations and sequencing genes.     

弯曲长周期光子晶体光纤光栅传感器的研究

为了研究弯曲长周期光子晶体光纤光栅传感器谐振波长漂移量与光栅弯曲形变的关系,采用耦合模理论和计算机模拟方法进行了理论计算和仿真研究,推导出弯曲光子晶体光纤长周期光栅谐振波长表达式,设计了一般弯曲长周期光子晶体光纤光栅传感器系统模型,分析了弯曲长周期光子晶体光纤光栅传感器的基本工作原理,并计算了长周期光子晶体光纤光栅弯曲曲率、光栅有效折射率和谐振波长与弯曲应变的关系。结果表明,随着光栅弯曲形变的增加,光栅的曲率会增加,光栅传感器的谐振波长漂移量会增加,光栅每发生1变化,光栅谐振波长的漂移量变化0.014nm。     

Ultrasensitive and Stable Au Dimer‐Based Colorimetric Sensors Using the Dynamically Tunable Gap‐Dependent Plasmonic Coupling Optical Properties

A novel Au dimer‐based colorimetric sensor is reported that consists of Au dimers to a chitosan hydrogel film. It utilizes the ultrasensitively gap‐dependent properties of plasmonic coupling (PC) peak shift, which is associated with the dynamical tuning of the interparticle gap of the Au dimer driven by the volume swelling of the chitosan hydrogel film. The interparticle gap and PC peak shift of the Au dimer can be precisely and extensively controlled through the pH‐driven volume change of chitosan hydrogel film. This colorimetric sensor exhibits a high optical sensitivity and stability, and it works in a completely reversible manner at high pH values. Importantly, the sensitivity of the composite film can be tuned by controlling the crosslinking time of the composite film, and thus leading to a wide dynamic tuning sensitive range for different applications. This presented strategy paves a way to achieve the construction of high‐quality colorimetric sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity, stability and wide dynamic tuning sensitive range.     

Arrays of Ordered Pb Nanowires and Their Optical Properties for Laminated Polarizers

A laminated micropolarizer of Pb nanowire arrays was fabricated within an anodic alumina membrane (AAM) by anodization of the pure Al foil and subsequent electrodeposition of Pb. X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected‐area electron diffraction, and high‐resolution electron microscopy investigations reveal that the ordered Pb nanowires are essentially single crystal, and have an average diameter of 40 nm. Spectrophotometry measurements show that the Pb nanowire arrays embedded in AAM can only transmit polarized light vertical to the wires. An extinction ratio of 17 to 18 dB and an average insertion loss of 0.4 dB cm^–1 in the wavelength range of 1 to 2.2 μm were obtained, respectively. Therefore, these Pb nanowire/AAM composites can be used as a wire grid type micropolarizer.     

Multicolor Printing Using Electric‐Field‐Responsive and Photocurable Photonic Crystals

Efficient and large scale printing of photonic crystal patterns with multicolor, multigrayscale, and fine resolution is highly desired due to its application in smart prints, sensors, and photonic devices. Here, an electric‐field‐assisted multicolor printing is reported based on electrically responsive and photocurable colloidal photonic crystal, which is prepared by supersaturation‐induced self‐assembly of SiO₂ particles in the mixture of propylene carbonate (PC) and trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate (ETPTA). This colloidal crystal suspension, named as E‐ink, has tunable structural color, controllable grayscale, and instantly fixable characteristics at the same time because the SiO₂/ETPTA‐PC photonic crystal has metastable and reversible assembly as well as polymerizable features. Lithographical printing with photomask and maskless pixel printing techniques are developed respectively to efficiently prepare multicolor and high‐resolution photonic patterns using a single‐component E‐ink.