Ultrathin-layer chromatography nanostructures modified by atomic layer deposition.

Stationary phase morphology and surface chemistry dictate the properties of ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) media and interactions with analytes in sample mixtures. In this paper, we combined two powerful thin film deposition techniques to create composite chromatography nanomaterials. Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) produces high surface area columnar microstructures with aligned macropores well-suited for UTLC. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables precise fabrication of conformal, nanometer-scale coatings that can tune surfaces of these UTLC films. We coated ∼5µm thick GLAD SiO2 UTLC media with <10nm thick ALD metal oxides (Al2O3, ZrO2, and ZnO) to decouple surface chemistry from the underlying GLAD scaffold microstructure. The effects of ALD coatings on GLAD UTLC media were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), gas adsorption porosimetry, and lipophilic dye separations. The results collectively show that the most significant changes occur over the first few nanometers of ALD coating. They further demonstrate independent control of film microstructure and surface characteristics. ALD coatings can enhance complex GLAD microstructures to engineer new composite nanomaterials potentially useful in analytical chromatography.

Surface plasmon induced polarization rotation and optical vorticity in a single mode waveguide.

The control and manipulation of the mode polarization state in a single mode dielectric waveguide is of considerable significance for optical information processing utilizing the polarization state to store digital information and integrated photonic devices used for high speed signaling. Here we report on an integrated on-chip mode polarization rotation based on short metal Cu electrodes placed in close proximity to the dielectric waveguide core. Polarization mode rotation with specific rotation of 10(4) degrees/mm is observed for offset metallic electrodes placed diagonally along a single mode dielectric waveguide. The mechanism for the polarization rotation is shown to be directional coupling into guided surface plasmon modes at the metal corners and coupling between the guided plasmon modes. This inter-plasmon coupling gives rise to giant polarization rotation and optical vorticity (helical power flow) in the waveguide.