Jian Zi

Raman shifts in Si nanocrystals

Raman shifts of Si nanocrystals versus size were studied theoretically by a bond polarizability model. Zero‐dimensional spheres and one‐dimensional columns were considered. The relation between the Raman shift and the size for Si spheres and columns was established, from which the size of Si nanocrystals can be obtained for a given Raman shift or vice versa.

Enlargement of omnidirectional total reflection frequency range in one-dimensional photonic crystals by using photonic heterostructures

We show theoretically that the omnidirectional total reflection frequency range of a multilayer dielectric reflector can be substantially enlarged as desired by using photonic heterostructures. This photonic heterostructure consists of different one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystals. The constituent 1D photonic crystals have to be properly chosen such that their omnidirectional photonic band gaps of the adjacent photonic crystals overlap each other.

Enhanced Light–Matter Interactions in Graphene-Covered Gold Nanovoid Arrays

The combination of graphene with noble-metal nanostructures is currently being explored for strong light-graphene interactions enhanced by plasmons. We introduce a novel hybrid graphene-metal system for studying light-matter interactions with gold-void nanostructures exhibiting resonances in the visible range. Enhanced coupling of graphene to the plasmon modes of the nanovoid arrays results in significant frequency shifts of the underlying plasmon resonances, enabling 30% enhanced absolute light absorption by adding a monolayer graphene and up to 700-fold enhancement of the Raman response of the graphene. These new perspectives enable us to verify the presence of graphene on gold-void arrays, and the enhancement even allows us to accurately quantify the number of layers. Experimental observations are further supported by numerical simulations and perturbation-theory analysis. The graphene gold-void platform is beneficial for sensing of molecules and placing Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye molecules on top of the graphene; we observe a strong enhancement of the R6G Raman fingerprints. These results pave the way toward advanced substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with potential for unambiguous single-molecule detection on the atomically well-defined layer of graphene.

Transfer matrix method for optics in graphene layers

A transfer matrix method is developed for optical calculations of non-interacting graphene layers. Within the framework of this method, optical properties such as reflection, transmission and absorption for single-, double- and multi-layer graphene are studied. We also apply the method to structures consisting of periodically arranged graphene layers, revealing well-defined photonic band structures and even photonic bandgaps. Finally, we discuss graphene plasmons and introduce a simple way to tune the plasmon dispersion.

Localized surface plasmon resonance of nanoporous gold

We report the plasmonic properties of free-standing nanoporousgold (NPG) films with an intricate bicontinuous nanostructure. Two characteristic plasmon bands of NPG have been detected in absorption spectra. One at ∼ 490 nm , resulting from the resonant absorption of goldfilms, is independent of nanopore sizes and dielectric surroundings. The other at ∼ 550 – 650 nm , arising from the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance, shows obvious band shift with the nanopore sizes and dielectric indices of surrounding media, suggesting that NPG is a promising candidate as plasmonic sensors for organic and biologic molecule detection. This study also shines light on the underlying mechanisms of surface enhanced spectroscopy of NPG.

Large frequency range of negligible transmission in one-dimensional photonic quantum well structures

We show that it is possible to enlarge the range of low transmission in one-dimensional photonic crystals by using photonic quantum well structures. If a defect is introduced in the photonic quantum well structures, defect modes with a very high quality factor may appear. The transmission of the defect mode is due to the coupling between the eigenmodes of the defect and those at the band edges of the constituent photonic crystals.

Dual‐Pore Mesoporous Carbon@Silica Composite Core–Shell Nanospheres for Multidrug Delivery

Monodispersed mesoporous phenolic polymer nanospheres with uniform diameters were prepared and used as the core for the further growth of core-shell mesoporous nanorattles. The hierarchical mesoporous nanospheres have a uniform diameter of 200 nm and dual-ordered mesopores of 3.1 and 5.8 nm. The hierarchical mesostructure and amphiphilicity of the hydrophobic carbon cores and hydrophilic silica shells lead to distinct benefits in multidrug combination therapy with cisplatin and paclitaxel for the treatment of human ovarian cancer, even drug-resistant strains.

Structural color change in longhorn beetles Tmesisternus isabellae

The elytra of longhorn beetles Tmesisternus isabellae show iridescent golden coloration which stems from long and flat scales imbricated densely on the elytral surface. The scales are able to change coloration from golden in the dry state to red in the wet state with water absorption. Structural characterizations revealed that the iridescent coloration of scales originates from a multilayer in the scale interior. Measurements on both water contact angle and chemical composition indicated that scales are hydrophilic. The change in scale coloration to red in the wet state is due to both the swelling of the multilayer period and water infiltration. The unraveled structural color change and its strategy may not only help us get insight into the biological functionality of structural coloration but also inspire the designs of artificial photonic devices.

Ferroelectric inverse opals with electrically tunable photonic band gap

We present a scheme for tuning the photonic band gap (PBG) by an external electric field in a ferroelectric inverse opal structure. The inverse opals, consisting of ferroelectric (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 (PLZT) ceramics, were synthesized by a sol–gel process. Optical reflection spectra show that the PBG of the PLZT inverse opals shifts continuously with the change in the applied electric field. As the photonic crystals (PCs) consist of the high-refractive-index constituent and possess an “all-solid” structure, it should supply a more reliable mode to tune the PBG by the electric field for the superprism effect in PCs. It should be of high interest in device applications.

Plasmonic analog of electromagnetically induced transparency in nanostructure graphene

Graphene has shown intriguing optical properties as a new class of plasmonic material in the terahertz regime. In particular, plasmonic modes in graphene nanostructures can be confined to a spatial size that is hundreds of times smaller than their corresponding wavelengths in vacuum. Here, we show numerically that by designing graphene nanostructures in such deep-subwavelength scales, one can obtain plasmonic modes with the desired radiative properties such as radiative and dark modes. By placing the radiative and dark modes in the vicinity of each other, we further demonstrate electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), analogous to the atomic EIT. At the transparent window, there exist very large group delays, one order of magnitude larger than those offered by metal structures. The EIT spectrum can be further tuned electrically by applying a gate voltage. Our results suggest that the demonstrated EIT based on graphene plasmonics may offer new possibilities for applications in photonics.