Manas Ranjan Gartia

Rigorous surface enhanced Raman spectral characterization of large-area high-uniformity silver-coated tapered silica nanopillar arrays

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been increasingly utilized as an analytical technique with significant chemical and biological applications (Qian et al 2008 Nat. Biotechnol. 26 83; Fujita et al 2009 J. Biomed. Opt. 14 024038; Chou et al 2008 Nano Lett.8 1729; Culha et al 2003 Anal. Chem. 75 6196; Willets K A 2009 Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 394 85; Han et al 2009 Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 394 1719; Sha et al 2008 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130 17214). However, production of a robust, homogeneous and large-area SERS substrate with the same ultrahigh sensitivity and reproducibility still remains an important issue. Here, we describe a large-area ultrahigh-uniformity tapered silver nanopillar array made by laser interference lithography on the entire surface of a 6 inch wafer. Also presented is the rigorous optical characterization method of the tapered nanopillar substrate to accurately quantify the Raman enhancement factor, uniformity and repeatability. An average homogeneous enhancement factor of close to 10(8) was obtained for benzenethiol adsorbed on a silver-coated nanopillar substrate.

Surface plasmon enhanced broadband spectrophotometry on black silver substrates

We demonstrate surface plasmon-induced enhancements in optical imaging and spectroscopy on silver coated silicon nanocones which we call black silver. The black silver with dense and homogeneous nanocone forest structure is fabricated with a mass-producible nanomanufacturing method. It can efficiently trap and convert incident photons into localized plasmons in broad wavelength range, permitting the enhancement in optical absorption from ultraviolet to near infrared range by 12 times, the visible fluorescence enhancement of ∼30 times and the Raman scattering enhancement factor up to ∼108. We show the potential of the black silver in high sensitivity and broadband optical sensing of molecules.

Ultrahigh Throughput Silicon Nanomanufacturing by Simultaneous Reactive Ion Synthesis and Etching

One-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanowhisker, nanorod, nanowire, nanopillar, nanocone, nanotip, nanoneedle, have attracted significant attentions in the past decades owing to their numerous applications in electronics, photonics, energy conversion and storage, and interfacing with biomolecules and living cells. The manufacturing of nanostructured devices relies on either bottom-up approaches such as synthesis or growth process or top-down approaches such as lithography or etching process. Here we report a unique, synchronized, and simultaneous top-down and bottom-up nanofabrication approach called simultaneous plasma enhanced reactive ion synthesis and etching (SPERISE). For the first time the atomic addition and subtraction of nanomaterials are concurrently observed and precisely controlled in a single-step process permitting ultrahigh-throughput, lithography-less, wafer-scale, and room-temperature nanomanufacturing. Rapid low-cost manufacturing of high-density, high-uniformity, light-trapping nanocone arrays was demonstrated on single crystalline and polycrystalline silicon wafers, as well as amorphous silicon thin films. The proposed nanofabrication mechanisms also provide a general guideline to designing new SPERISE methods for other solid-state materials besides silicon.

Electrically induced conformational change of peptides on metallic nanosurfaces.

Surface immobilized biomolecular probes are used in many areas of biomedical research, such as genomics, proteomics, immunology, and pathology. Although the structural conformations of small DNA and peptide molecules in free solution are well studied both theoretically and experimentally, the conformation of small biomolecules bound on surfaces, especially under the influence of external electric fields, is poorly understood. Using a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, we study the external electric field-induced conformational change of dodecapeptide probes tethered to a nanostructured metallic surface. Surface-tethered peptides with and without phosphorylated tyrosine residues are compared to show that peptide conformational change under electric field is sensitive to biochemical modification. Our study proposes a highly sensitive in vitro nanoscale electro-optical detection and manipulation method for biomolecule conformation and charge at bio-nano interfaces.

Effect of Loop Diameter on the Steady State and Stability Behaviour of Single-Phase and Two-Phase Natural Circulation Loops

In natural circulation loops, the driving force is usually low as it depends on the riser height which is generally of the order of a few meters. The heat transport capability of natural circulation loops (NCLs) is directly proportional to the flow rate it can generate. With low driving force, the straightforward way to enhance the flow is to reduce the frictional losses. A simple way to do this is to increase the loop diameter which can be easily adopted in pressure tube designs such as the AHWR and the natural circulation boilers employed in fossil-fuelled power plants. Further, the loop diameter also plays an important role on the stability behavior. An extensive experimental and theoretical investigation of the effect of loop diameter on the steady state and stability behavior of single- and two-phase natural circulation loops have been carried out and the results of this study are presented in this paper.

Monolithic integrations of slanted silicon nanostructures on 3D microstructures and their application to surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy

We demonstrated fabrication of black silicon with slanted nanocone array on both planar and 3D micro and meso scale structures produced by a high-throughput lithography-free oblique-angle plasma etching process. Nanocones with gradual change in height were created on the same piece of silicon. The relation between the slanted angle of nanocones and incident angle of directional plasma is experimentally investigated. In order to demonstrate the monolithic integration of nanostructures on micro and meso scale non-planar surfaces, nanocone forest is fabricated on non-planar silicon surfaces in various morphologies such as silicon atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips and pyramidal pits. By integrating nanocones on inverse silicon micro-pyramid array devices, we further improved the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement property of this optimized commercial SERS substrate by several folds even when using 66% less noble metal coating. We investigated the length gradient dependence and asymmetric properties of SERS effects for slanted nanocone with polarized excitation. This versatile and angle-controllable nanocone fabrication and monolithic 3D nano-micro-meso integration method provides new dimensions for production and optimization of SERS and other nanophotonic sensors.

Enhanced 3D fluorescence live cell imaging on nanoplasmonic substrate

We have created a randomly distributed nanocone substrate on silicon coated with silver for surface-plasmon-enhanced fluorescence detection and 3D cell imaging. Optical characterization of the nanocone substrate showed it can support several plasmonic modes (in the 300-800 nm wavelength range) that can be coupled to a fluorophore on the surface of the substrate, which gives rise to the enhanced fluorescence. Spectral analysis suggests that a nanocone substrate can create more excitons and shorter lifetime in the model fluorophore Rhodamine 6G (R6G) due to plasmon resonance energy transfer from the nanocone substrate to the nearby fluorophore. We observed three-dimensional fluorescence enhancement on our substrate shown from the confocal fluorescence imaging of chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells grown on the substrate. The fluorescence intensity from the fluorophores bound on the cell membrane was amplified more than 100-fold as compared to that on a glass substrate. We believe that strong scattering within the nanostructured area coupled with random scattering inside the cell resulted in the observed three-dimensional enhancement in fluorescence with higher photostability on the substrate surface.

Reliability assessment of passive isolation condenser system of AHWR using APSRA methodology

In this paper, a methodology known as APSRA (Assessment of Passive System ReliAbility) is used for evaluation of reliability of passive isolation condenser system of the Indian Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR). As per the APSRA methodology, the passive system reliability evaluation is based on the failure probability of the system to perform the design basis function. The methodology first determines the operational characteristics of the system and the failure conditions based on a predetermined failure criterion. The parameters that could degrade the system performance are identified and considered for analysis. Different modes of failure and their cause are identified. The failure surface is predicted using a best estimate code considering deviations of the operating parameters from their nominal states, which affect the isolation condenser system performance. Once the failure surface of the system is predicted, the causes of failure are examined through root diagnosis, which occur mainly due to failure of mechanical components. Reliability of the system is evaluated through a classical PSA treatment based on the failure probability of the components using generic data.

Trimodal Therapy: Combining Hyperthermia with Repurposed Bexarotene and Ultrasound for Treating Liver Cancer.

Repurposing of existing cancer drugs to overcome their physical limitations, such as insolubility, represents an attractive strategy to achieve enhanced therapeutic efficacy and broaden the range of clinical applications. Such an approach also promises to offer substantial cost savings in drug development efforts. Here we repurposed FDA-approved topical agent bexarotene (Targretin), currently in limited use for cutaneous manifestations of T-cell lymphomas, and re-engineer it for use in solid tumor applications by forming self-assembling nanobubbles. Physico-chemical characterization studies of the novel prodrug nanobubbles demonstrated their stability, enhanced target cell internalization capability, and highly controlled release profile in response to application of focused ultrasound energy. Using an in vitro model of hepatocellular carcinoma and an in vivo large animal model of liver ablation, we demonstrate the effectiveness of bexarotene prodrug nanobubbles when used in conjunction with catheter-based ultrasound, thereby highlighting the therapeutic promise of this trimodal approach.

Self-Referenced Smartphone-Based Nanoplasmonic Imaging Platform for Colorimetric Biochemical Sensing

Colorimetric sensors usually suffer due to errors from variation in light source intensity, the type of light source, the Bayer filter algorithm, and the sensitivity of the camera to incoming light. Here, we demonstrate a self-referenced portable smartphone-based plasmonic sensing platform integrated with an internal reference sample along with an image processing method to perform colorimetric sensing. Two sensing principles based on unique nanoplasmonics enabled phenomena from a nanostructured plasmonic sensor, named as nanoLCA (nano Lycurgus cup array), were demonstrated here for colorimetric biochemical sensing: liquid refractive index sensing and optical absorbance enhancement sensing. Refractive indices of colorless liquids were measured by simple smartphone imaging and color analysis. Optical absorbance enhancement in the colorimetric biochemical assay was achieved by matching the plasmon resonance wavelength with the chromophores absorbance peak wavelength. Such a sensing mechanism improved the limit of detection (LoD) by 100 times in a microplate reader format. Compared with a traditional colorimetric assay such as urine testing strips, a smartphone plasmon enhanced colorimetric sensing system provided 30 times improvement in the LoD. The platform was applied for simulated urine testing to precisely identify the samples with higher protein concentration, which showed potential point-of-care and early detection of kidney disease with the smartphone plasmonic resonance sensing system.