Room temperature self-assembly of mixed nanoparticles into complex material systems and devices

Abstract

The ability to manufacture nanomaterials with complex and structured composition using otherwise incompatible materials increasingly underpins the next generation of technologies. This is translating into growing efforts integrating a wider range of materials onto key technology platforms1 - in photonics, one such platform is silica, a passive, low loss and robust medium crucial for efficient optical transport2. Active functionalisation, either through added gain or nonlinearity, is mostly possible through the integration of active materials3, 4. The high temperatures used in manufacturing of silica waveguides, unfortunately, make it impossible to presently integrate many organic and inorganic species critical to achieving this extended functionality. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of novel waveguides and devices made up of complex silica based materials using the self-assembly of nanoparticles. In particular, the room temperature fabrication of silica microwires integrated with organic dyes (Rhodamine B) and single photon emitting nanodiamonds is presented.

Key words: nanotechnology, nanoparticles, self-assembly, quantum science, singel photon emitters, telecommunications, sensing, new materials, integration of incompatible materials, silica, glass, breakthrough science

References in corpus (3)

• A Diamond Nanowire Single Photon Antenna
• 1 Low power continuous-wave nonlinear optics in silica glass integrated waveguide structures
• Pattern formation during the evaporation of a colloidal nanoliter drop: a numerical and experimental study

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Time-Resolved and Temperature Tuneable Measurements of Fluorescent Intensity using a Smartphone Fluorimeter
• Percolation diffusion into self-assembled mesoporous silica microfibres
• Tailoring surface interactions, contact angles, drop topologies and self-assembly using laser irradiation
• Near orthogonal launch of SPR modes in Au films