Here we present direct optical measurements of light coupling into a waveguide by plasmonic nanoparticles [1]. We investigated the coupling efficiency into the guided modes within the waveguide by illuminating the surface of a sample, consisting of a glass slide coated with a high refractive index planar waveguide and plasmonic nanoparticles, while directly measuring the intensity of the light ...

Enhanced fluorescence emission intensity from fluorescein was observed on glass slides covered with thin films of silver nanoparticles using a confocal laser-scanning microscope. The silver nanoparticle film increased the emission intensity of fluorescein by an average of at least three-fold in the area studied. Statistics are given on the enhancement of individual areas of the silver particle ...

Dynamics of the interphase region between matrix and bound polymers on nanoparticles is important to understand the macroscopic rheological properties of nanocomposites. Here, we present neutron scattering investigations on nanocomposites with dynamically asymmetric interphases formed by a high-glass transition temperature polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate), adsorbed on nanoparticles and a low-...

In this study, we propose a new detection method of nanoparticle-enhanced human papillomavirus genotyping microarrays using a DVD optical pick-up with a photodiode. The HPV genotyping DNA chip was labeled using Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles, prepared on a treatment glass substrate. Then, the bio information of the HPV genotyping target DNA was detected by measuring the difference of the optica...

The preparation of two-component polymer composite nanoparticles encapsulating both Si quantum dots (SiQDs) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) by a single step miniemulsion polymerization of divinylbenzene is described. This simple and robust method affords well-defined polymer composite nanoparticles with mean diameters in a range of 100–200 nm and with narrow polydispersity indices as determined by...

Nanoparticle-polymer composites, or polymer-nanoparticle composites (PNCs), exhibit unusual mechanical and dynamical features when the particle size approaches the random coil dimensions of the host polymer. Here, we harness favourable enthalpic interactions between particle-tethered and free, host polymer chains to create model PNCs, in which spherical nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in ...

Background: Bioactive glass (BG) nanoparticles are amongst the most promising class of biomaterials for hard tissue regeneration because of their distinctive properties of rapid bone bonding, controlled biodegradability and their ability to stimulate new bone growth. Despite the vast interest in BG scaffolds in medical applications, the synthesis of bioactive glass nanoparticles is still facing...

A Cr adhesion layer inserted between Ag nanoparticles and a glass substrate, for the purpose of improving the adhesion of Ag nanoparticles to glass, was observed to cause an abnormal peak shift of extinction spectra in nonspecific reactions. The undesired peak shift misleads molecule detection in non-specific reactions. To solve this issue, a practical technique using n-propyl-trimethoxysilane-...

Common dispersion methods such as ultrasonic sonication, planetary centrifugal mixing and magnetic dispersion have been used extensively to achieve moderate exfoliation of nanoparticles in polymer matrix. In this study, the effect of adding three roll milling to these three dispersion methods for nanoclay dispersion into epoxy matrix was investigated. A combination of each of these mixing metho...

Poling-assisted bleaching was studied with respect to poling time, voltage, and temperature in glass samples having a gradient of silver nanoparticles across the depth. The optical extinction band due to the particles’ surface plasmon resonance around 415 nm was measured and the Maxwell– Garnett effective medium theory was used to fit extinction spectra. Fitting allowed us to determine the evol...