ABSTRACT
A stimuli-responsive (pH- and thermoresponsive) micelle-forming diblock copolymer, poly(1,2-butadiene)290-block-poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)240 (PB-b-PDMAEMA), was used as a polymer template for the in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through Ag+ complexation with PDMAEMA blocks, followed by the reduction of the bound Ag+ with sodium borohydride. A successful synthesis of the AgNPs on a PB-b-PDMAEMA micellar template was confirmed by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, wherein the shape and size of the AgNPs were determined. A phase transition of the polymer matrix in the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA metallopolymer hybrids, which results from a collapse and aggregation of PDMAEMA blocks, was manifested by changes in the transmittance of their aqueous solutions as a function of temperature. A SERS reporting probe, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA), was used to demonstrate a laser-induced enhancement of the SERS signal observed under constant laser irradiation. The local heating of the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA sample in the laser spot is thought to be responsible for the triggered SERS effect, which is caused by the approaching of AgNPs and the generation of "hot spots" under a thermo-induced collapse and the aggregation of the PDMAEMA blocks of the polymer matrix. The triggered SERS effect depends on the time of a laser exposure and on the concentration of 4-MPBA. Possible mechanisms of the laser-induced heating for the AgNPs/PB-b-PDMAEMA metallopolymer hybrids are discussed.
Subject(s)
Metal Nanoparticles , Polymers , Lasers , Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Silver , TemperatureABSTRACT
Integrated ring laser gyroscopes are perfect candidates for small-sized and high-performance gyroscopes. However, the performance of the ring laser gyroscope (RLG) near zero angular velocity is fundamentally restricted by the mode locking effect. In the paper the magneto-optical ring resonator is studied as a sensitive element of the integrated RLG. The counter-propagating waves are generated at the same frequency for resonator at rest and are spatially split. It is shown that the spatial splitting of modes in such a resonator drastically suppresses the mode locking problem even at the near zero angular velocity.
ABSTRACT
The propagation of electromagnetic waves through a disordered layered system is considered in the paradigm of the homogenization of Maxwell's equations. Although the accuracy of the effective dielectric permittivity and/or magnetic permeability is still unclear outside the static approximation, we show that the effective wave vector can be correctly introduced even in high-frequency cases. It is demonstrated that both the real and imaginary parts of the effective wave vector are self-averaging quantities connected by the Kramers-Kronig relations. We provide a unified approach to describe the propagation and localization of electromagnetic waves in terms of the effective wave vector. We show that the effective wave vector plays the same role in describing composite materials in electrodynamics as the effective dielectric permittivity does in statics.
ABSTRACT
In the review, peculiarities of spectra of one-dimensional photonic crystals made of anisotropic and/or magnetooptic materials are considered. The attention is focused on band gaps of a special type-the so called degenerate band gaps which are degenerate with respect to polarization. Mechanisms of formation and properties of these band gaps are analyzed. Peculiarities of spectra of photonic crystals that arise due to the linkage between band gaps are discussed. Particularly, it is shown that formation of a frozen mode is caused by linkage between Brillouin and degenerate band gaps. Also, existence of the optical Borrmann effect at the boundaries of degenerate band gaps and optical Tamm states at the frequencies of degenerate band gaps are analyzed.
