Five Orders-of-Magnitude Enhancement of Two-Photon Absorption for Dyes on Silver Nanoparticle Fractal Clusters

Synthesis, optical properties, and two-photon bioimaging evaluation of novel fluorescent cationic molecules with symmetrical long conjugated all-trans structures

Five novel fluorescent molecules (PPy, BOPPy, CNPPy, BPPy, and BPIm), which possess symmetrical long conjugated all-trans structures and are capped with hydroxyethyl-bonded pyridinium or benzimidazolium cations, were designed, synthesized, and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. The systematic investigations of their linear and nonlinear optical properties in different solvents indicate that all the target compounds exhibit large Stokes shifts (71-152 nm) and four of them (PPy, CNPPy, BPPy, and BPIm) have satisfactory two-photon action cross-sections (45.2-112.4 GM in DMSO). The fluorescence stability experiments reveal that their fluorescence emission is insensitive within the biologically relevant pH range of 4.0-8.0, which may enable applications in vivo to be possible. Cytotoxicity assessments, together with one- and two-photon excited fluorescence imaging studies in live cells were performed to evaluate their application values in bioimaging. It is found that PPy is not only endowed with low cytotoxicity and good cell membrane permeability, but also shows bright intracellular fluorescence signals. The high comprehensive performance enables PPy to have a promising application prospect in living cell imaging.

Enhancing Photothermal Energy Transduction through Inter- and Intramolecular Interactions of Multiple Two-Photon Dyes Appended onto Calix[4]arene

Organic dyes-based photothermal agents (OPTAs) have received increasing attention as alternative to inorganic materials due to their higher biocompatibility and extensive diversification. Maximizing nonradiative deexcitation channels is crucial to improve the photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of OPTAs. This is typically achieved through individual molecular design or collective enhancement using supramolecular strategies. Furthermore, photothermal therapy (PTT) generally relies on linear one-photon absorption of the light source by the OPTA, with less consideration given to nonlinear two-photon absorption (2PA) strategies, despite their potential benefits. Here, a synergistic strategy, which combines intramolecular and intermolecular quenching, is employed to maximize the photothermal efficiency of diphenylamino-substituted distyryl dicyanobenzene (DSB), an outstanding two-photon-absorbing chromophore. One to three DSB units have been introduced on the conic p-tert-butyl-calix[4]arene (CX), serving as a preorganizing platform to allow aggregate formation and promote intramolecular quenching within the multichromophoric systems. Importantly, the multichromophoric molecules had very high two-photon absorption capabilities with cross sections (δ2PA) reaching maximal values of 3290 GM at 810 nm. Experimental data accompanied by large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and time-dependent density functional theory calculations shed light onto the interaction mechanism in those multiple DSB-appended CX compounds to rationalize their optical properties. Then, the formulation with Pluronic F127 amphiphile yields water-dispersible nanoprecipitates (Nps), in which the PCE is further maximized and the photobleaching is reduced due to the combination of intra- and intermolecular quenching. The high two-photon absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) window associated with the high PCE of these nanosized OPTAs could serve as a basis to future in vivo 2P-PTT applications.

Singlet Oxygen Photophysics: From Liquid Solvents to Mammalian Cells

Molecular oxygen, O2, has long provided a cornerstone for studies in chemistry, physics, and biology. Although the triplet ground state, O2(X3Σg-), has garnered much attention, the lowest excited electronic state, O2(a1Δg), commonly called singlet oxygen, has attracted appreciable interest, principally because of its unique chemical reactivity in systems ranging from the Earth's atmosphere to biological cells. Because O2(a1Δg) can be produced and deactivated in processes that involve light, the photophysics of O2(a1Δg) are equally important. Moreover, pathways for O2(a1Δg) deactivation that regenerate O2(X3Σg-), which address fundamental principles unto themselves, kinetically compete with the chemical reactions of O2(a1Δg) and, thus, have practical significance. Due to technological advances (e.g., lasers, optical detectors, microscopes), data acquired in the past ∼20 years have increased our understanding of O2(a1Δg) photophysics appreciably and facilitated both spatial and temporal control over the behavior of O2(a1Δg). One goal of this Review is to summarize recent developments that have broad ramifications, focusing on systems in which oxygen forms a contact complex with an organic molecule M (e.g., a liquid solvent). An important concept is the role played by the M+•O2-• charge-transfer state in both the formation and deactivation of O2(a1Δg).

Exploring Low-Power Single-Pulsed Laser-Triggered Two-Photon Photodynamic/Photothermal Combination Therapy Using a Gold Nanostar/Graphene Quantum Dot Nanohybrid

Combined photodynamic/photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) has emerged as a promising cancer treatment modality due to its potential synergistic effects and identical treatment procedures. However, its clinical application is hindered by long treatment times and complicated treatment operations when separate illumination sources are required. Here, we present the development of a new nanohybrid comprising thiolated chitosan-coated gold nanostars (AuNS-TCS) as the photothermal agent and riboflavin-conjugated N,S-doped graphene quantum dot (Rf-N,S-GQD) as the two-photon photosensitizer (TP-PS). The nanohybrid demonstrated combined TP-PDT/PTT when a low-power, single-pulsed laser irradiation was applied, and the localized surface plasmon resonance of AuNS was in resonance with the TP-absorption wavelength of Rf-N,S-GQD. The TCS coating significantly enhanced the colloidal stability of AuNSs while providing a suitable substrate to electrostatically anchor negatively charged Rf-N,S-GQDs. The plasmon-enhanced singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation effect led to boosted ¹O₂ production both extracellularly and intracellularly. Notably, the combined TP-PDT/PTT exhibited significantly improved phototherapeutic outcomes compared to individual strategies against 2D monolayer cells and 3D multicellular tumor spheroids. Overall, this study reveals a successful single-laser-triggered, synergistic combined TP-PDT/PTT based on a plasmonic metal/QD hybrid, with potential for future investigation in clinical settings.

Is Heralded Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence with Single Absorbers Possible with Current Technology?

The interaction between single or a fixed number of photons with a single absorber is of fundamental interest in quantum technology. The harnessing of light matter interactions at the single particle limit has several potential applications ranging from quantum communication and quantum metrology to quantum imaging. In this perspective, a setup for heralded two-photon excited fluorescence at the single absorber level is proposed. The setup is based on a heralded two-photon source utilizing spontaneous parametric down-conversion, entanglement swapping and sum frequency generation for joint detection. This perspective aimed at triggering a discussion about the study of TPA and TPEF with only very few photons. The feasibility of the scheme is assessed by estimating the performance based on state-of-the-art technologies and losses, with the conclusion that the realization appears to be very challenging, but not completely impossible.

Strong increase in the effective two-photon absorption cross-section of excitons in quantum dots due to the nonlinear interaction with localized plasmons in gold nanorods

Excitons in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) feature high values of the two-photon absorption cross-sections (TPACSs), enabling applications of two-photon-excited photoluminescence (TPE PL) of QDs in biosensing and nonlinear optoelectronics. However, efficient TPE PL of QDs requires high-intensity laser fields, which limits these applications. There are two possible ways to increase the TPE PL of QDs: by increasing their photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) or by further increasing the TPACS. Plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) may act as open nanocavities for increasing the PLQY via the Purcell effect, but this enhancement is strictly limited by the maximum possible PLQY value of 100%. Here we directly investigated the effect of PNPs on the effective TPACS of excitons in QDs. We have found that effective TPACS of excitons in a QD-PMMA thin film can be increased by a factor of up to 12 near the linearly excited gold nanorods (GNRs). Using gold nanospheres (GNSs), in which plasmons cannot be excited in the infrared range, as a control system, we have shown that, although both GNSs and GNRs increase the recombination rate of excitons, the TPACS is increased only in the case of GNRs. We believe that the observed effect of TPACS enhancement is a result of the nonlinear interaction of the plasmons in GNRs with excitons in QDs, which we have supported by numerical simulations. The results show the way to the rational design of the spectral features of plasmon-exciton hybrids for using them in biosensing and nonlinear optoelectronics.

Two-photon absorption and two-photon-induced isomerization of azobenzene compounds

The process of two-photon-induced isomerization occurring in various organic molecules, among which azobenzene derivatives hold a prominent position, offers a wide range of functionalities, which can be used in both material and life sciences. This review provides a comprehensive description of nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of azobenzene (AB) derivatives whose geometries can be switched through two-photon absorption (TPA). Employing the nonlinear excitation process allows for deeper penetration of light into the tissues and provides opportunities to regulate biological systems in a non-invasive manner. At the same time, the tight focus of the beam needed to induce nonlinear absorption helps to improve the spatial resolution of the photoinduced structures. Since near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths are employed, the lower photon energies compared to usual one-photon excitation (typically, the azobenzene geometry change from trans to cis form requires the use of UV photons) cause less damage to the biological samples. Herein, we present an overview of the strategies for optimizing azobenzene-based photoswitches for efficient two-photon excitation (TPE) and the potential applications of two-photon-induced isomerization of azobenzenes in biological systems: control of ion flow in ion channels or control of drug release, as well as in materials science, to fabricate data storage media, optical filters, diffraction elements etc., based on phenomena like photoinduced anisotropy, mass transport and phase transition. The extant challenges in the field of two-photon switchable azomolecules are discussed.

Plasmon-enhanced two-photon excitation fluorescence of rhodamine 6G and an Eu-diketonate complex by a picosecond diode laser

Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) of rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and tris(dibenzoylmethane) mono(5-aminophenanthroline) europium (Eu-TDPA) was measured using a pulsed diode laser head (<45 mW, 975 nm, 90 ps pulse width, 40 MHz). Fluorophores were cast on a glass slide modified with triangular silver nanoprisms. A photon-counting photomultiplier detected the TPEF of Rh6G on a glass substrate (1361 Hz) and on the nanoprisms (6322 Hz). On the other hand, Eu-TDPA did not exhibit TPEF on a glass substrate. TPEF was only observed when the extinction of the nanoprisms on the substrates was larger than 0.1. The nanoprisms enhanced the TPEF of these two fluorophores up to the detectable level using a low-power laser diode.

Production, characterization and antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles produced by Fusarium oxysporum and monitoring of protein-ligand interaction through in-silico approaches

The present study envisages biological production of silver nanoparticles using Fusarium oxysporum and in-silico identification of the antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles using protein-ligand interaction studies. The morphology of the nanoparticles was variable, with majority of them spherical in the size range 1-50 nm. For in-silico studies, two microorganisms, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were selected and metal docking was carried out using the licensed software SYBYL X 1.1.1. The ligand docked deeply into the binding pockets of the outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of both E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The results showed that silver may prove to be a strong antibacterial agent against both the pathogens, with the antibacterial action of silver being greater in the case of P. aeruginosa. The results obtained through in-silico studies were further validated by in-vitro approaches on both solid and liquid media to confirm the results obtained by in-silico analysis. The corroboration of in-silico and in-vitro results amply demonstrates the immense antibacterial potential of silver nanoparticles against the selected pathogens.

Plasmonic Enhancement of Two-Photon-Excited Luminescence of Single Quantum Dots by Individual Gold Nanorods

Plasmonic enhancement of two-photon-excited fluorescence is not only of fundamental interest but also appealing for many bioimaging and photonic applications. The high peak intensity required for two-photon excitation may cause shape changes in plasmonic nanostructures, as well as transient plasmon broadening. Yet, in this work, we report on strong enhancement of the two-photon-excited photoluminescence of single colloidal quantum dots close to isolated chemically synthesized gold nanorods. Upon resonant excitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance, a gold nanorod can enhance the photoluminescence of a single quantum dot more than 10 000-fold. This strong enhancement arises from the combined effect of local field amplification and the competition between radiative and nonradiative decay rate enhancements, as is confirmed by time-resolved fluorescence measurements and numerical simulations.

Magnetic and electric hotspots via fractal clusters of hollow silicon nanoparticles

We show that fractal clusters of hollow Si nanoparticles provide both magnetic hotspots (MHs) and electric hotspots (EHs). The hollow size tailors the wavelength dependence of the field enhancement. In the wavelength window 400-750 nm, magnetic field intensity enhancements of 10-3790 and electric field intensity enhancements of 10-400 are achievable. Wavelength-tuned MHs and EHs allow better enhancement of Raman optical activity, fluorescence and circular dichroism of molecules, and so on. Si nanoparticles overcome the limitations of metallic ones, which provide only EHs at the price of heat perturbations on a nearby quantum emitter due to metallic ohmic losses.

Engineered nonlinear materials using gold nanoantenna array

Gold dipole nanoantennas embedded in an organic molecular film provide strong local electromagnetic fields to enhance both the nonlinear refractive index (n₂) and two-photon absorption (2PA) of the molecules. An enhancement of 53× for 2PA and 140× for nonlinear refraction is observed for BDPAS (4,4′-bis(diphenylamino)stilbene) at 600 nm with only 3.7% of gold volume fraction. The complex value of the third-order susceptibility enhancement results in a sign change of n₂ for the effective composite material relative to the pure BDPAS film. This complex nature of the enhancement and the tunability of the nanoantenna resonance allow for engineering the effective nonlinear response of the composite film.

A systematic review on silver nanoparticles-induced cytotoxicity: Physicochemical properties and perspectives

With the development of nanotechnology, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have become one of the most in-demand nanoparticles owing to their exponential number of uses in various sectors. The increased use of Ag-NPs-enhanced products may result in an increased level of toxicity affecting both the environment and living organisms. Several studies have used different model cell lines to exhibit the cytotoxicity of Ag-NPs, and their underlying molecular mechanisms. This review aimed to elucidate different properties of Ag-NPs that are responsible for the induction of cellular toxicity along with the critical mechanism of action and subsequent defense mechanisms observed in vitro. Our results show that the properties of Ag-NPs largely vary based on the diversified synthesis processes. The physiochemical properties of Ag-NPs (e.g., size, shape, concentration, agglomeration, or aggregation interaction with a biological system) can cause impairment of mitochondrial function prior to their penetration and accumulation in the mitochondrial membrane. Thus, Ag-NPs exhibit properties that play a central role in their use as biocides along with their applicability in environmental cleaning. We herein report a current review of the synthesis, applicability, and toxicity of Ag-NPs in relation to their detailed characteristics.

Adhesion Enhancements and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Activity of Ag and Ag@SiO2 Nanoparticle Decorated Ragweed Pollen Microparticle Sensor

A simple solution processed layer-by-layer approach was used to immobilize metal nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of ragweed pollen exine to obtain multifunctional particles with significant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), two-photon excited fluorescence, and enhanced adhesion properties. The rugged pollen exine was functionalized with an amine terminated silane and then treated with Ag or Ag@SiO₂ NPs that were electrostatically attached to the exterior of the pollen by incubation in an NP solution of the appropriate pH. Nanoparticle agglomeration on the pollen gives rise to broadband near infrared (NIR) (785-1064 nm) plasmonic activity, and strong SERS signals from benzenedithiol deposited on NP-pollen composite particles were observed. In addition to SERS activity, the AgNP coating provides a twofold increase in the adhesive properties of the RW pollen exine on a silicon substrate, leading to a robust, adhesive, broadband NIR excitable SERS microparticle.

Lighting the Way to See Inside Two-Photon Absorption Materials: Structure-Property Relationship and Biological Imaging

The application of two-photon absorption (2PA) materials is a classical research field and has recently attracted increasing interest. It has generated a demand for new dyes with high 2PA cross-sections. In this short review, we briefly cover the structure-2PA property relationships of organic fluorophores, organic-inorganic nanohybrids and metal complexes explored by our group. (1) The two-photon absorption cross-section (δ) of organic fluorophores increases with the extent of charge transfer, which is important to optimize the core, donor-acceptor pair, and conjugation-bridge to obtain a large δ value. Among the various cores, triphenylamine appears to be an efficient core. Lengthening of the conjugation with styryl groups in the D-π-D quadrupoles and D-π-A dipoles increased δ over a long wavelength range than when vinylene groups were used. Large values of δ were observed for extended conjugation length and moderate donor-acceptors in the near-IR wavelengths. The δ value of the three-arm octupole is larger than that of the individual arm, if the core has electron accepting groups that allow significant electronic coupling between the arms; (2) Optical functional organic/inorganic hybrid materials usually show high thermal stability and excellent optical activity; therefore the design of functional organic molecules to build functional organic-inorganic hybrids and optimize the 2PA properties are significant. Advances have been made in the design of organic-inorganic nanohybrid materials of different sizes and shapes for 2PA property, which provide useful examples to illustrate the new features of the 2PA response in comparison to the more thoroughly investigated donor-acceptor based organic compounds and inorganic components; (3) Metal complexes are of particular interest for the design of new materials with large 2PA ability. They offer a wide range of metals with different ligands, which can give rise to tunable electronic and 2PA properties. The metal ions, including transition metals and lanthanides, can serve as an important part of the structure to control the intramolecular charge-transfer process that drives the 2PA process. As templates, transition metal ions can assemble simple to more sophisticated ligands in a variety of multipolar arrangements resulting in interesting and tailorable electronic and optical properties, depending on the nature of the metal center and the energetics of the metal-ligand interactions, such as intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) and metal-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) processes. Lanthanide complexes are attractive for a number of reasons: (i) their visible emissions are quite long-lived; (ii) their absorption and emission can be tuned with the aid of appropriate photoactive ligands; (iii) the accessible energy-transfer path between the photo-active ligands and the lanthanide ion can facilitate efficient lanthanide-based 2PA properties. Thus, the above materials with excellent 2PA properties should be applied in two-photon applications, especially two-photon fluorescence microscopy (TPFM) and related emission-based applications. Furthermore, the progress of research into the use of those new 2PA materials with moderate 2PA cross section in the near-infrared region, good Materials 2017, 10, 223 2 of 37 biocompatibility, and enhanced two-photon excited fluorescence for two-photon bio-imaging is summarized. In addition, several possible future directions in this field are also discussed (146 references).

Open-Chain Crown-Ether-Derived Two-Photon Fluorescence Probe for Real-Time Dynamic Biopsy of Mercury Ions

A novel two-photon fluorescence probe for Hg2+ derived from bis(styryl)terephthalonitrile, as a two-photon fluorophore, and bis[2-(2-hydroxyethyl sulfanyl) ethyl]amino group (ionophore), as a novel Hg2+ ligand, was developed. The probe possesses small molecule size, large two-photon absorption cross-section (1067 GM) in H2O, non-cytotoxic effect, long wavelength emission at 588 nm, large Stokes shift (121 nm), excellent photostability, high water solubility, good cell permeability, and pH insensitivity in the biologically relevant range. The probe can selectively detect Hg2+ ions in live cells and living tissues without interference from other metal ions and the membrane-bound probes, and its quenching constant is 8.73 × 105 M–1.

Scattering based hyperspectral imaging of plasmonic nanoplate clusters towards biomedical applications

A new optical scattering contrast-agent based on polymer-nanoparticle encapsulated silver nanoplates (PESNs) is presented. Silver nanoplates were chosen due to the flexibility of tuning their plasmon frequencies. The polymer coating preserves their physical and optical properties and confers other advantages such as controlled contrast agent delivery. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations model the interaction of light with the nanoplates in different orientations in the cluster. Hyperspectral dark field microscopy (HYDFM) observes the scattering spectra of the PESNs. An unsupervised sequential maximum angle convex cone (SMACC) image analysis resolves spectral endmembers corresponding to different stacking orientations of the nanoplates. The orientation-dependent endmembers qualitatively agree with the FDTD results. For contrast enhancement, the uptake and spatial distribution of PESNs are demonstrated by an HYDFM study of single melanoma cells to result in an enhanced contrast of up to 400%. A supervised spatial mapping of the endmembers obtained by the unsupervised SMACC algorithm reveals spatial distributions of PESNs with various clustering orientations of encapsulated nanoplates. Our study demonstrates tunability in plasmonics properties in clustered metal nanoparticles and its utility for the development of scatter-based imaging contrast agents for a broad range of applications, including studies of single cells and other biomedical systems.

Plasmon-enhanced two-photon-induced isomerization for highly-localized light-based actuation of inorganic/organic interfaces

Two-photon initiated photo-isomerization of an azobenzene moiety adsorbed on silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is demonstrated. The azobenzene is linked to a materials-binding peptide that brings it into intimate contact with the Ag NP surface, producing a dramatic enhancement of its two-photon absorbance. An integrated modeling approach, combining advanced conformational sampling with Quantum Mechanics/Capacitance Molecular Mechanics and response theory, shows that charge transfer and image charges in the Ag NP generate local fields that enhance two-photon absorption of the cis isomer, but not the trans isomer, of adsorbed molecules. Moreover, dramatic local field enhancement is expected near the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength, and the LSPR band of the Ag NPs overlaps the azobenzene absorbance that triggers cis to trans switching. As a result, the Ag NPs enable two-photon initiated cis to trans isomerization, but not trans to cis isomerization. Confocal anti-Stokes fluorescence imaging shows that this effect is not due to local heating, while the quadratic dependence of switching rate on laser intensity is consistent with a two-photon process. Highly localized two-photon initiated switching could allow local manipulation near the focal point of a laser within a 3D nanoparticle assembly, which cannot be achieved using linear optical processes.

Two-photon excited fluorescence from a pseudoisocyanine-attached gold tip via a plasmonic-photonic hybrid system

A plasmonic-photonic hybrid system with efficient coupling of light from a fiber-coupled microspherical cavity to localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes of a gold-coated tip was proposed, which was composed of a fiber-coupled microspherical cavity and a pseudoisocyanine (PIC)-attached gold tip. To prove efficient excitation of LSP at the gold-coated tip, we experimentally demonstrated two-photon excited fluorescence from the PIC-attached gold-coated tip via a fiber-coupled microspherical cavity under a weak continuous wave excitation condition. This hybrid system could focus the incident light with coupling efficiency of around 64% into a nanoscale domain of the metal tip with an effective area of a 79-nm circle.

Original electroactive and fluorescent bichromophores based on non-conjugated tetrazine and triphenylamine derivatives: towards more efficient fluorescent switches

This study allowed us to design efficient electrofluorochromic dyads based on tetrazine and triphenylamine units.

Highly stable polymer coated nano-clustered silver plates: a multimodal optical contrast agent for biomedical imaging

Here, we present a new optical contrast agent based on silver nanoplate clusters embedded inside of a polymer nano matrix. Unlike nanosphere clusters, which have been well studied, nanoplate clusters have unique properties due to the different possible orientations of interaction between the individual plates, resulting in a significant broadening of the absorption spectra. These nanoclusters were immobilized inside of a polymer cladding so as to maintain their stability and optical properties under in vivo conditions. The polymer-coated silver nanoplate clusters show a lower toxicity compared to the uncoated nanoparticles. At high nanoparticle concentrations, cell death occurs mostly due to apoptosis. These nanoparticles were used for targeted fluorescence imaging in a rat glioma cell line by incorporating a fluorescent dye into the matrix, followed by conjugation of a tumor targeting an F3 peptide. We further used these nanoparticles as photoacoustic contrast agents in vivo to enhance the contrast of the vasculature structures in a rat ear model. We observed a contrast enhancement of over 90% following the nanoparticle injection. It is also shown that these NPs can serve as efficient contrast agents, with specific targeting abilities for broadband multimodal imaging that are usable for diagnostic applications and that extend into use as therapeutic agents as well.

Enhanced third harmonic generation by organic materials on high-Q plasmonic photonic crystals

The enhanced optical nonlinearity enabled by localized plasmonic fields has been well studied for all-optical switching processing (AOSP) devices for future optical communication systems. In this work, plasmonic photonic crystals with a nonlinear polycarbonate/polymethine blend cladding layer are designed to enhance the third harmonic generation (THG) at the telecom wavelengths (~1550 nm). Due to the presence of he two-dimensional (2-D) gold nano-patch arrays with improved Q-factor and high local fields, more than 20 × of enhanced THG signals in the hybrid organic-plasmonic nanostructure are experimentally observed. The enhanced THG in the hybrid organic-plasmonic materials suggested that such extraordinary nonlinear effects can be used for AOSP devices and wavelength conversion.

Gold nanorod enhanced two-photon excitation fluorescence of photosensitizers for two-photon imaging and photodynamic therapy

Plasmon enhancement of optical properties is both fundamentally important and appealing for many biological and photonic applications. Although metal-enhanced two-photon excitation fluorescence has been demonstrated in the solid substrates, there is no report on metal enhanced overall two-photon excitation fluorescence in the colloid system. Here we systematically investigated gold nanorod enhanced one- and two-photon excitation fluorescence of a porphyrin molecule, T790. The separation distance between the metal core and T790 was varied by adjusting the silica shell thickness from 13 to 42 nm. One- and two-photon excitation fluorescence intensities of T790 were found to strongly depend on the thickness of silica shell that separates gold nanorod and T790. The optimum one- and two-photon excitation fluorescence enhancement was found to occur at shell thicknesses of 34 and 20 nm, with enhancement factors of 2.1 and 11.8, respectively. Fluorescence lifetime of T790 steadily decreased as the shell thickness decreased. The observed two-photon excitation fluorescence enhancement is ascribed to a combination effect of local electric field amplification and competition between increased radiative and non-radiative decay rates. Core-shell nanoparticles that displayed enhanced two-photon excitation fluorescence were also found to exhibit significantly improved singlet oxygen generation capability under two-photon excitation. The applications of these nanoparticles as effective agents for two-photon cell imaging and nano-photosensitizers for two-photon photodynamic therapy with improved efficiency have also been demonstrated in HepG2 cancer cells. The combined advantages of enhanced two-photon excitation fluorescence and two-photon induced singlet oxygen generation make these core-shell nanoparticles as attractive agents for two-photon imaging guided two-photon photodynamic therapy.

Enhanced emission of fluorophores on shrink-induced wrinkled composite structures

We introduce a manufacturable and scalable method for creating tunable wrinkled ferromagnetic-metallic structures to enhance fluorescence signals. Thin layers of nickel (Ni) and gold (Au) were deposited onto a pre-stressed thermoplastic (shrink wrap film) polymer. Heating briefly forced the metal films to buckle when the thermoplastic retracted, resulting in multi-scale composite 'wrinkles'. This is the first demonstration of leveraging the plasmons in such hybrid nanostructures by metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF) in the near-infrared wavelengths. We observed more than three orders of magnitude enhancement in the fluorescence signal of a single molecule of goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate, FITC, (FITC-IgG) by two-photon excitation with these structures. These large enhancements in the fluorescence signal at the nanoscale gaps between the composite wrinkles corresponded to shortened lifetimes due to localized surface plasmons. To characterize these structures, we combined fluctuation correlation spectroscopy (FCS), fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), and two-photon microscopy to spatially and temporally map the hot spots with high resolution.

Two-photon excited fluorescence from a pseudoisocyanine-attached gold-coated tip via a thin tapered fiber under a weak continuous wave excitation

A simple tapered fiber based photonic-plasmonic hybrid nanostructure composed of a thin tapered fiber and a pseudoisocyanine (PIC)-attached Au-coated tip was demonstrated. Using this simple hybrid nanostructure, we succeeded in observing two-photon excited fluorescence from the PIC dye molecules under a weak continuous wave excitation condition. From the results of the tip-fiber distance dependence and excitation polarization dependence, we found that using a thin tapered fiber and an Au-coated tip realized efficient coupling of the incident light (~95%) and LSP excitation at the Au-coated tip, suggesting the possibility of efficiently inducing two-photon excited fluorescence from the PIC dye molecules attached on the Au-coated tip. This simple photonic-plasmonic hybrid system is one of the promising tools for single photon sources, highly efficient plasmonic sensors, and integrated nonlinear plasmonic devices.

Tuning dye-to-particle interactions toward luminescent gold nanostars

Light-matter interactions are of great interest for potential biological applications (bioimaging, biosensing, phototherapy). For such applications, sharp nanostructures exhibit interesting features since their extinction bands (surface plasmon resonance) cover a large bandwidth in the whole visible wavelength region due to the existence of "hot spots" located at the end of the tips. In this context, gold nanostars appear to be interesting objects. However, their study remains difficult, mainly due to complicated synthetic methods and further functionalization. This paper reports the synthesis, functionalization, and photophysics of luminescent hybrid gold nanostars prepared using a layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition method for the tuning of chromophore-to-particle distances together with the impact of the spectral overlap between the plasmon and the emission/absorption of the dyes. Several luminescent dyes with different optical signatures were selectively adsorbed at the nanoparticle surface. The optimized systems, exhibiting the highest luminescence recovery, clearly showed that overlap must be as low as possible. Also, the fluorescence intensities were quenched in close vicinity of the metal surface and revealed a distance-dependence with almost full recovery of the dyes emission for 11 LbL layers, which corresponded to 15 nm distances evaluated on dried samples. The photophysics of the luminescent core-shell particles were carried out in suspension and correlated with the response of isolated single objects.

Coupling of surface plasmon with InGaAs/GaAs quantum well emission by gold nanodisk arrays

Enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) intensity from InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) is achieved experimentally by coupling surface plasmon (SP) resonance with QW emission. The SP resonance is generated by fabricating a periodic Au nanodisk array on top of InGaAs/GaAs QW structure. A thin layer of SiO(2) between Au nanodisk and GaAs surface has been employed to achieve easy adjustment of the SP resonance. A 4.16 fold enhancement of PL intensity was observed. Theoretical simulation results match well with the experimental results and confirm that the PL emission is enhanced by SP coupling with the fabricated structure.

Gold nanoflower@gelatin core-shell nanoparticles loaded with conjugated polymer applied for cellular imaging

In the present work, a facile one-pot method is designed to fabricate a core-shell fluorescent nanoparticle (NP) for cellular imaging based on a new cationic conjugated polymer, poly[9,9'-bis(6,6'-(N,N,N-trimethylaminium)fluorene-2,7-ylenevinylene-co-alt-2,5-dicyano-1,4-phenylene] (PFVCN). Gold nanoflowers (AuNFs) are prepared by a seedless method, in which a gelatin layer formed through a sol-gel phase transition is deposited on the surface of each AuNF. The cationic PFVCN self-assembles onto the negative surface of the resultant (AuNF@Gelatin NPs) driven by electrostatic attraction. An obvious enhancement of fluorescence intensity is observed. The AuNF@Gelatin/PFVCN NPs exhibit excellent cytocompatibility, and their cellular imaging ability is demonstrated when cocultured with HeLa cells. AuNF@Gelatin/PFVCN hybrid NPs are expected to be a desirable material in the field of cellular imaging and biosensing.

Two-photon fluorescence imaging super-enhanced by multishell nanophotonic particles, with application to subcellular pH

A novel nanophotonic method for enhancing the two-photon fluorescence signal of a fluorophore is presented. It utilizes the second harmonic (SH) of the exciting light generated by noble metal nanospheres in whose near-field the dye molecules are placed, to further enhance the dye's fluorescence signal in addition to the usual metal-enhanced fluorescence phenomenon. This method enables demonstration, for the first time, of two-photon fluorescence enhancement inside a biological system, namely live cells. A multishell hydrogel nanoparticle containing a silver core, a protective citrate capping, which serves also as an excitation quenching inhibitor spacer, a pH indicator dye shell, and a polyacrylamide cladding are employed. Utilizing this technique, an enhancement of up to 20 times in the two-photon fluorescence of the indicator dye is observed. Although a significant portion of the enhanced fluorescence signal is due to one-photon processes accompanying the SH generation of the exciting light, this method preserves all the advantages of infrared-excited, two-photon microscopy: enhanced penetration depth, localized excitation, low photobleaching, low autofluorescence, and low cellular damage.

Plasmonic enhancement of the two photon absorption cross section of an organic chromophore using polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods

The effect of plasmonic enhancement on the two-photon absorption cross section of organic chromophores attached to polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods was investigated. The magnitudes of such enhancements were confirmed using single and two photon excitations of the chromophore molecules bound to polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods. By synthesizing two-, four-, six-, and eight-polyelectrolyte layer coated nanorods of a particular aspect ratio, the distance dependence of the evanescent electromagnetic field on molecular two-photon absorption was observed. Enhancements of 40-fold were observed for the chromophores nearest to the surface.

Extreme nonlinearities in InAs/InP nanowire gain media: the two-photon induced laser

We demonstrate a novel laser oscillation scheme in an InAs / InP wire-like quantum dash gain medium. A short optical pulse excites carriers by two photon absorption which relax to the energy levels providing gain thereby enabling laser oscillations. The nonlinear dynamic interaction is analyzed and quantified using multi-color pump-probe measurements and shows a highly efficient nonlinear two photon excitation process which is larger by more than an order of magnitude compared to common quantum well and bulk gain media. The dynamic response of the nonlinearly induced laser line is characterized by spectrally resolved temporal response measurements, while changes incurring upon propagation in the stimulating short pulse itself are characterized by frequency resolved optical gating (FROG).

Quantum dot/plasmonic nanoparticle metachromophores with quantum yields that vary with excitation wavelength

Coupled plasmonic/chromophore systems are of interest in applications ranging from fluorescent biosensors to solar photovoltaics and photoelectrochemical cells because near-field coupling to metal nanostructures can dramatically alter the optical performance of nearby materials. We show that CdSe quantum dots (QDs) near single silver nanoprisms can exhibit photoluminescence lifetimes and quantum yields that depend on the excitation wavelength, in apparent violation of the Kasha-Vavilov rule. We attribute the variation in QD lifetime with excitation wavelength to the wavelength-dependent coupling of higher-order plasmon modes to different spatial subpopulations of nearby QDs. At the QD emission wavelength, these subpopulations are coupled to far-field radiation with varying efficiency by the nanoprism dipolar resonance. These results offer an easily accessible new route to design metachromophores with tailored optical properties.

Study of the interaction between 2,5-di-[2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)ethylene]-terephthalonitril and bovine serum albumin by fluorescence spectroscopy

A new compound, 2,5-di-[2-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)ethylene]-terephthalonitrile (DHPEPN), was synthesized. The interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and DHPEPN in Tris-HCl buffer solution (pH 7.4) was investigated using fluorescence and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The mechanism of BSA fluorescence quenched by DHPEPN is discussed according to the Stern-Volmer equation. The binding constant and the thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔS, ΔG at different temperatures were calculated. The results indicate that the van der Waals interaction and hydrogen bonding play major roles in the binding process. The distance between BSA and DHPEPN is estimated to be 3.59 nm based on the Förster resonance energy transfer theory. The spectral changes of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence suggest that both of the microenvironment of DHPEPN and the conformation of BSA are changed during binding between DHPEPN and BSA.