Exploring Plasmonic Resonances Toward “Large‐Scale” Flexible Optical Sensors with Deformation Stability

Abstract The next generation of sensors requires a simple yet compact lab on chip‐based precise optical detection mechanism where data interpretation can be achieved with minimum effort. Hereby, cost‐efficient strategies of manufacturing both propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensors on flexible platforms are explored via mechanical instabilities and oblique‐angled metal evaporation. Centimeter scaled dielectric grating structures produced by plasma oxidation of pre‐stressed polydimethylsiloxane film have comprised the substrates, thus imparting inherent flexibility. Subsequently, both continuous and discontinuous 1D‐metallic lattices are obtained via vapor deposition of gold at different angles. The optical isotropy (gold surface‐grating) and anisotropy (gold edge‐grating) are distinctly observed as a difference between forward and backward diffraction efficiencies, backed by analytical correlation to the observed orders. Supported with electromagnetic modeling, the SPP and LSPR excitations are experimentally characterized under reflectance and transmittance measurements, along with a demonstration of their sensing capabilities. The LSPR supported flexible sensor provides superiority in terms of sensitivity, which is investigated under mechanical deformations to exhibit consistency of the resonant wavelength. Such consistency is strategically unraveled via “finite element method” based approaches, thus providing a new paradigm of cost‐efficient, large‐scaled flexible sensors

Efficient and accurate modeling of electron photoemission in nanostructures with TDDFT

We derive and extend the time-dependent surface-flux method introduced in [L. Tao, A. Scrinzi, New J. Phys. 14, 013021 (2012)] within a time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) formalism and use it to calculate photoelectron spectra and angular distributions of atoms and molecules when excited by laser pulses. We present other, existing computational TDDFT methods that are suitable for the calculation of electron emission in compact spatial regions, and compare their results. We illustrate the performance of the new method by simulating strong-field ionization of C60 fullerene and discuss final state effects in the orbital reconstruction of planar organic molecules

Nootropic effects of LSD: Behavioral, molecular and computational evidence

The therapeutic use of classical psychedelic substances such as d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) surged in recent years. Studies in rodents suggest that these effects are produced by increased neural plasticity, including stimulation of the mTOR pathway, a key regulator of metabolism, plasticity, and aging. Could psychedelic-induced neural plasticity be harnessed to enhance cognition? Here we show that LSD treatment enhanced performance in a novel object recognition task in rats, and in a visuo-spatial memory task in humans. A proteomic analysis of human brain organoids showed that LSD affected metabolic pathways associated with neural plasticity, including mTOR. To gain insight into the relation of neural plasticity, aging and LSD-induced cognitive gains, we emulated the experiments in rats and humans with a neural network model of a cortico-hippocampal circuit. Using the baseline strength of plasticity as a proxy for age and assuming an increase in plasticity strength related to LSD dose, the simulations provided a good fit for the experimental data. Altogether, the results suggest that LSD has nootropic effects.This project was supported by the Beckley Foundation; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (grants 308775/2015-5 and 408145/2016-1), São Paulo Research Foundation grants (2013/07699-0, 2014/10068-4, 2017/25588-1 and 2019/00098-7), intramural grants from D'Or Institute and Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, and a Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación Scholarship (IJCI-2016-27864) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and a Newton International Fellowship from the Royal Society.Peer reviewe

Lateral band formation and hybridization in molecular monolayers: NTCDA on Ag(110) and Cu(100)

The adsorption of aromatic molecules onmetal surfaces leads to a complex reorganization of the molecular and metal wave functions. Various processes such as charge transfer, hybridization between molecular and metallic states, and the formation of dispersing bands within the interface have been demonstrated for organometallic interface systems. For the model molecule 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA), we compare highly ordered monolayers on Ag(110) and Cu(100), which allows us to identify changes of the interfacial electronic structure when altering the coupling strength with the substrate by means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The stronger coupling to the Ag(110) substrate goes along with a shorter photohole lifetime and a stronger hybridization of the NTCDA lowest unoccupied molecular orbital with metal states. Supported by ab initio calculations, we show that the observed band dispersion is greatly enhanced due to the interaction with Ag(110) while the laterally denser adsorption geometry of NTCDA on Cu(100) entails a larger intermolecular wave-function overlap, and the presence of the substrate results in no further bandwidth enhancement.M. Wießner, J. Kübert, V. Feyer, P. Puschnig, A. Schöll, and F. Reiner

Electronic and geometric structure of the PTCDA/Ag(110) interface probed by angle-resolved photoemission

The properties of molecular films are determined by the geometric structure of the first layers near the interface. These are in contact with the substrate and feel the effect of the interfacial bonding, which particularly, for metal substrates, can be substantial. For the model system 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride on Ag(110), the geometric structure of the first monolayer can be modified by preparation parameters. This leads to significant differences in the electronic structure of the first layer. Here, we show that, by combining angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with low-energy electron diffraction, we cannot only determine the electronic structure of the interfacial layer and the unit cell of the adsorbate superstructure, but also the arrangement of the molecules in the unit cell. Moreover, in bilayer films, we can distinguish the first from the second layer and, thus, study the formation of the second layer and its influence on the buried interface

Observation of a molecule-metal interface charge transfer related feature by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy

We report the discovery of a charge transfer (CT) related low binding energy feature at a molecule-metal interface by the application of resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (RPES). This interface feature is neither present for molecular bulk samples nor for the clean substrate. A detailed analysis of the spectroscopic signature of the low binding energy feature shows characteristics of electronic interaction not found in other electron spectroscopic techniques. Within a cluster model description this feature is assigned to a particular eigenstate of the photoionized system that is invisible in direct photoelectron spectroscopy but revealed in RPES through a relative resonant enhancement. Interpretations based on considering only the predominant character of the eigenstates explain the low binding energy feature by an occupied lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, which is either realized through CT in the ground or in the intermediate state. This reveals that molecule-metal CT is responsible for this feature. Consequently, our study demonstrates the sensitivity of RPES to electronic interactions and constitutes a new way to investigate CT at molecule-metal interfaces