This paper addresses recent experimental findings about luminescence of a gold tip in near-field interaction with a gold surface. Our electrochemically etched gold tips show a typical, intrinsic luminescence that we exploit to track the plasmon resonance modeled by a Lorentzian oscillator. Our experimental device is based on a spectrometer optically coupled to an atomic force microscope used in...

Quantum dots play a promising role in the development of novel optical and biosensing devices. In this study, we investigated steady state and time-dependent luminescence properties of InGaP/ZnS core/shell colloidal quantum dots in a solution phase at room temperature. The steady state experiments exhibited an emission maximum at 650 nm with full width at half maximum of ~ 85 nm, and strong fir...

The luminescence properties of highly strained, Sb-doped Ge/Si multi-layer heterostructures with incorporated Ge quantum dots (QDs) are studied. Calculations of the electronic band structure and luminescence measurements prove the existence of an electron miniband within the columns of the QDs. Miniband formation results in a conversion of the indirect to a quasi-direct excitons takes place. Th...

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are chemical systems comprising organic molecules coordinated to metal ions or clusters to form one-, two-, or three-dimensional structural arrangement (Figure 1). The use of lanthanide (Ln) ions results in a specific class of Ln-MOFs possessing unique physico-chemical properties owing to a large atomic magnetic moment, strong spin-orbital coupling, high coordina...

A plasmid containing a transcriptional fusion of the Escherichia coli katG promoter to a truncated Vibrio fischeri lux operon (luxCDABE) was constructed. An E. coli strain bearing this plasmid (strain DPD2511) exhibited low basal levels of luminescence, which increased up to 1,000-fold in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, redox-cycling agents (methyl viologen and menadione),...

Organo-copper(i) halide complexes with a Cu4I4 cubane core and cyclic amines as ligands have been synthesized and their crystal structures have been defined. Their solid state photophysical properties have been measured and correlated with the crystal structure and packing. A unique and remarkably high luminescence quantum yield (76%) has been measured for one of the complexes having the cubane...

Spectroscopic properties of germanium oxygen-deficient centers were studied in vapor axial deposition and modified chemical-vapor deposition germanosilicate glass after hydrostatic densification by as much as 19%. Gaussian decomposition showed a broadening and a significant shift of the initial absorption bands at 5.11 and 5.42 eV. A threefold decrease of the 3.15-eV luminescence band was revea...

Semiconductor quantum dots are becoming valuable analytical tools for biomedical applications. Indeed, their unique photophysical properties offer the opportunity to design luminescent probes for imaging and sensing with unprecedented performance. In this context, we have identified operating principles to transduce the supramolecular association of complementary receptor-substrate pairs into a...

One-pot fabrication of fluorescent carbon dots was facilely developed by directly heating ascorbic acid aqueous solution at 90 °C. The resulting carbon dots possess excitation, pH and polarity-dependent luminescence and upconversion fluorescence properties.

The local luminescence properties of individual CdSe nanowires composed of segments of zinc blende and wurtzite crystal structures are investigated by low-temperature scanning tunneling luminescence spectroscopy. Light emission from the wires is achieved by the direct injection of holes and electrons, without the need for coupling to tip-induced plasmons in the underlying metal substrate. The p...