Paul R. Stoddart

Nanoimprinted optical fibres: Biotemplated nanostructures for SERS sensing

Nanoimprint lithography is used to pattern the endface of an optical fiber. A biological nanotemplate is replicated into polymer and coated with metal. Observed enhancement of through-fibre Raman scattering validates the approach.

Impact of nano-topography on bacterial attachment.

The adhesion of bacteria to surfaces is an important biological process, but one that has resisted simple categorization due to the number and complexity of parameters involved. The roughness of the substrate is known to play a significant role in the attachment process, particularly when the surface irregularities are comparable to the size of the bacteria and can provide shelter from unfavorable environmental factors. According to this scenario, roughness on a scale much smaller than the bacteria would not be expected to influence the initial attachment. To test this hypothesis, the impact of nanometer‐scale roughness on bacterial attachment has been investigated using as‐received and chemically etched glass surfaces. The surface modification by etching resulted in a 70% reduction in the nanoscale roughness of the glass surface with no significant alteration of its chemical composition or charge. Nevertheless, the number of bacteria adhering to the etched surface was observed to increase by a factor of three. The increase in attachment was also associated with an alteration in cellular metabolic activity as demonstrated by changes in characteristic cell morphologies and increased production of extracellular polymeric substances. The results indicate that bacteria may be more sensitive to nanoscale surface roughness than was previously believed.

The optical fiber tip: an inherently light-coupled microscopic platform for micro- and nanotechnologies.

The flat tip of an optical fiber is a unique and unconventional platform for micro and nanotechnologies. The small cross-section and large aspect ratio of the fiber provide an inherently light-coupled substrate that is uniquely suited to remote, in vivo and in situ applications. However, these same characteristics challenge established fabrication technologies, which are best suited to large planar substrates. This review presents a broad overview of strategies for patterning the flat tip of an optical fiber. Techniques discussed include self-assembly, numerous lithographies, through-fiber patterning, hybrid techniques, and strategies for mass manufacture, while the diverse applications are discussed in context throughout.

Nanostructured optical fiber with surface-enhanced Raman scattering functionality

A powerful method for the production of reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates is described based on the scaling properties of glass rods when drawn into fibers. The fabrication process involves chemically eroding the cleaved tips of drawn silica imaging fibers and then coating them with silver. For an appropriate choice of final diameter the drawn and eroded tips show clearly defined and regular triangular formations on a scale of approximately 80 nm. The favorable SERS properties of these structures have been demonstrated by the observation of enhancement factors of approximately 10(6).

Differences in colonisation of five marine bacteria on two types of glass surfaces

The retention patterns of five taxonomically different marine bacteria after attachment on two types of glass surfaces, as-received and chemically etched, have been investigated. Contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) were employed to investigate the impact of nanometer scale surface roughness on bacterial attachment. Chemical modification of glass surfaces resulted in a ∼1 nm decrease in the average surface roughness (R a) and the root-mean-squared roughness (Rq ) and in a ∼8 nm decrease in the surface height and the peak-to-peak (R max) and the 10-point average roughness (Rz ). The study revealed amplified bacterial attachment on the chemically etched, nano-smoother glass surfaces. This was a consistent response, notwithstanding the taxonomic affiliation of the selected bacteria. Enhanced bacterial attachment was accompanied by elevated levels of secreted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). An expected correlation between cell surface wettability and the density of the bacterial attachment on both types of glass surfaces was also reported, while no correlation could be established between cell surface charge and the bacterial retention pattern.

Active Control of Silver Nanoparticles Spacing Using Dielectrophoresis for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

We demonstrate an active microfluidic platform that integrates dielectrophoresis for the control of silver nanoparticles spacing, as they flow in a liquid channel. By careful control of the nanoparticles spacing, we can effectively increase the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal intensity based on augmenting the number of SERS-active hot-spots, while avoiding irreversible aggregation of the particles. The system is benchmarked using dipicolinate (2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid) (DPA), which is a biomarker of Bacillus anthracis. The validity of the results is discussed using several complementing characterization scenarios.

Sub‐15nm Optical Fiber Nanoimprint Lithography: A Parallel, Self‐aligned and Portable Approach

We demonstrate the parallel patterning of multiple optical-fiber facets using nanoimprint lithography on a novel platform. A resolution of better than 15 nm is demonstrated and up to 40 optical-fiber facets have been imprinted in parallel. The lithography platform features a self-alignment mechanism (see figure) that greatly relaxes the mechanical requirements, allowing for the demonstration of a compact, portable imprinting-module and the accommodation of non-planar, biological molds. The imprinted fibers are metalized and employed as bi-directional probes for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Gold‐Nanorod‐Assisted Near‐Infrared Stimulation of Primary Auditory Neurons

Infrared stimulation offers an alternative to electrical stimulation of neuronal tissue, with potential for direct, non-contact activation at high spatial resolution. Conventional methods of infrared neural stimulation (INS) rely on transient heating due to the absorption of relatively intense laser beams by water in the tissue. However, the water absorption also limits the depth of penetration of light in tissue. Therefore, the use of a near-infrared laser at 780 nm to stimulate cultured rat primary auditory neurons that are incubated with silica-coated gold nanorods (Au NRs) as an extrinsic absorber is investigated. The laser-induced electrical behavior of the neurons is observed using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology. The nanorod-treated auditory neurons (NR-ANs) show a significant increase in electrical activity compared with neurons that are incubated with non-absorbing silica-coated gold nanospheres and control neurons with no gold nanoparticles. The laser-induced heating by the nanorods is confirmed by measuring the transient temperature increase near the surface of the NR-ANs with an open pipette electrode. These findings demonstrate the potential to improve the efficiency and increase the penetration depth of INS by labeling nerves with Au NRs and then exposing them to infrared wavelengths in the water window of tissue.

Additional Enhancement of Electric Field in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering due to Fresnel Mechanism

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is attracting increasing interest for chemical sensing, surface science research and as an intriguing challenge in nanoscale plasmonic engineering. Several studies have shown that SERS intensities are increased when metal island film substrates are excited through a transparent base material, rather than directly through air. However, to our knowledge, the origin of this additional enhancement has never been satisfactorily explained. In this paper, finite difference time domain modeling is presented to show that the electric field intensity at the dielectric interface between metal particles is higher for “far-side” excitation than “near-side”. This is reasonably consistent with the observed enhancement for silver islands on SiO2. The modeling results are supported by a simple analytical model based on Fresnel reflection at the interface, which suggests that the additional SERS signal is caused by near-field enhancement of the electric field due to the phase shift at the dielectric interface.

Modeling of light absorption in tissue during infrared neural stimulation

A Monte Carlo model has been developed to simulate light transport and absorption in neural tissue during infrared neural stimulation (INS). A range of fiber core sizes and numerical apertures are compared illustrating the advantages of using simulations when designing a light delivery system. A range of wavelengths, commonly used for INS, are also compared for stimulation of nerves in the cochlea, in terms of both the energy absorbed and the change in temperature due to a laser pulse. Modeling suggests that a fiber with core diameter of 200 μm and NA=0.22 is optimal for optical stimulation in the geometry used and that temperature rises in the spiral ganglion neurons are as low as 0.1°C. The results show a need for more careful experimentation to allow different proposed mechanisms of INS to be distinguished.