TY - JOUR AB - Optoelectronic effects differentiating absorption of right and left circularly polarized photons in thin films of chiral materials are typically prohibitively small for their direct photocurrent observation. Chiral metasurfaces increase the electronic sensitivity to circular polarization, but their out-of-plane architecture entails manufacturing and performance trade-offs. Here, we show that nanoporous thin films of chiral nanoparticles enable high sensitivity to circular polarization due to light-induced polarization-dependent ion accumulation at nanoparticle interfaces. Self-assembled multilayers of gold nanoparticles modified with L-phenylalanine generate a photocurrent under right-handed circularly polarized light as high as 2.41 times higher than under left-handed circularly polarized light. The strong plasmonic coupling between the multiple nanoparticles producing planar chiroplasmonic modes facilitates the ejection of electrons, whose entrapment at the membrane–electrolyte interface is promoted by a thick layer of enantiopure phenylalanine. Demonstrated detection of light ellipticity with equal sensitivity at all incident angles mimics phenomenological aspects of polarization vision in marine animals. The simplicity of self-assembly and sensitivity of polarization detection found in optoionic membranes opens the door to a family of miniaturized fluidic devices for chiral photonics. AU - Cai, Jiarong AU - Zhang, Wei AU - Xu, Liguang AU - Hao, Changlong AU - Ma, Wei AU - Sun, Maozhong AU - Wu, Xiaoling AU - Qin, Xian AU - Colombari, Felippe Mariano AU - de Moura, André Farias AU - Xu, Jiahui AU - Silva, Mariana Cristina AU - Carneiro-Neto, Evaldo Batista AU - Gomes, Weverson Rodrigues AU - Vallée, Renaud A. L. AU - Pereira, Ernesto Chaves AU - Liu, Xiaogang AU - Xu, Chuanlai AU - Klajn, Rafal AU - Kotov, Nicholas A. AU - Kuang, Hua ID - 13352 IS - 4 JF - Nature Nanotechnology KW - Electrical and Electronic Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - Biomedical Engineering KW - Atomic and Molecular Physics KW - and Optics KW - Bioengineering SN - 1748-3387 TI - Polarization-sensitive optoionic membranes from chiral plasmonic nanoparticles VL - 17 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Redox mediators could catalyse otherwise slow and energy-inefficient cycling of Li–S and Li–O2 batteries by shuttling electrons or holes between the electrode and the solid insulating storage materials. For mediators to work efficiently they need to oxidize the solid with fast kinetics but with the lowest possible overpotential. However, the dependence of kinetics and overpotential is unclear, which hinders informed improvement. Here, we find that when the redox potentials of mediators are tuned via, for example, Li+ concentration in the electrolyte, they exhibit distinct threshold potentials, where the kinetics accelerate several-fold within a range as small as 10 mV. This phenomenon is independent of types of mediator and electrolyte. The acceleration originates from the overpotentials required to activate fast Li+/e− extraction and the following chemical step at specific abundant surface facets. Efficient redox catalysis at insulating solids therefore requires careful consideration of the surface conditions of the storage materials and electrolyte-dependent redox potentials, which may be tuned by salt concentrations or solvents. AU - Cao, Deqing AU - Shen, Xiaoxiao AU - Wang, Aiping AU - Yu, Fengjiao AU - Wu, Yuping AU - Shi, Siqi AU - Freunberger, Stefan Alexander AU - Chen, Yuhui ID - 10813 JF - Nature Catalysis KW - Process Chemistry and Technology KW - Biochemistry KW - Bioengineering KW - Catalysis SN - 2520-1158 TI - Threshold potentials for fast kinetics during mediated redox catalysis of insulators in Li–O2 and Li–S batteries VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR AU - Bravo, Jack Peter Kelly ID - 15144 IS - 4 JF - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News KW - Management of Technology and Innovation KW - Biomedical Engineering KW - Bioengineering KW - Biotechnology SN - 1935-472X TI - SuperFi-Cas9 exceeds fidelity, matches speed of original Cas9 VL - 42 ER - TY - JOUR AB - We report the observation of an anomalous nonlinear optical response of the prototypical three-dimensional topological insulator bismuth selenide through the process of high-order harmonic generation. We find that the generation efficiency increases as the laser polarization is changed from linear to elliptical, and it becomes maximum for circular polarization. With the aid of a microscopic theory and a detailed analysis of the measured spectra, we reveal that such anomalous enhancement encodes the characteristic topology of the band structure that originates from the interplay of strong spin–orbit coupling and time-reversal symmetry protection. The implications are in ultrafast probing of topological phase transitions, light-field driven dissipationless electronics, and quantum computation. AU - Baykusheva, Denitsa Rangelova AU - Chacón, Alexis AU - Lu, Jian AU - Bailey, Trevor P. AU - Sobota, Jonathan A. AU - Soifer, Hadas AU - Kirchmann, Patrick S. AU - Rotundu, Costel AU - Uher, Ctirad AU - Heinz, Tony F. AU - Reis, David A. AU - Ghimire, Shambhu ID - 13996 IS - 21 JF - Nano Letters KW - Mechanical Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - General Chemistry KW - Bioengineering SN - 1530-6984 TI - All-optical probe of three-dimensional topological insulators based on high-harmonic generation by circularly polarized laser fields VL - 21 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Confining molecules can fundamentally change their chemical and physical properties. Confinement effects are considered instrumental at various stages of the origins of life, and life continues to rely on layers of compartmentalization to maintain an out-of-equilibrium state and efficiently synthesize complex biomolecules under mild conditions. As interest in synthetic confined systems grows, we are realizing that the principles governing reactivity under confinement are the same in abiological systems as they are in nature. In this Review, we categorize the ways in which nanoconfinement effects impact chemical reactivity in synthetic systems. Under nanoconfinement, chemical properties can be modulated to increase reaction rates, enhance selectivity and stabilize reactive species. Confinement effects also lead to changes in physical properties. The fluorescence of light emitters, the colours of dyes and electronic communication between electroactive species can all be tuned under confinement. Within each of these categories, we elucidate design principles and strategies that are widely applicable across a range of confined systems, specifically highlighting examples of different nanocompartments that influence reactivity in similar ways. AU - Grommet, Angela B. AU - Feller, Moran AU - Klajn, Rafal ID - 13367 JF - Nature Nanotechnology KW - Electrical and Electronic Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - Biomedical Engineering KW - Atomic and Molecular Physics KW - and Optics KW - Bioengineering SN - 1748-3387 TI - Chemical reactivity under nanoconfinement VL - 15 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Recent discoveries have shown that, when two layers of van der Waals (vdW) materials are superimposed with a relative twist angle between them, the electronic properties of the coupled system can be dramatically altered. Here, we demonstrate that a similar concept can be extended to the optics realm, particularly to propagating phonon polaritons–hybrid light-matter interactions. To do this, we fabricate stacks composed of two twisted slabs of a vdW crystal (α-MoO3) supporting anisotropic phonon polaritons (PhPs), and image the propagation of the latter when launched by localized sources. Our images reveal that, under a critical angle, the PhPs isofrequency curve undergoes a topological transition, in which the propagation of PhPs is strongly guided (canalization regime) along predetermined directions without geometric spreading. These results demonstrate a new degree of freedom (twist angle) for controlling the propagation of polaritons at the nanoscale with potential for nanoimaging, (bio)-sensing, or heat management. AU - Duan, Jiahua AU - Capote-Robayna, Nathaniel AU - Taboada-Gutiérrez, Javier AU - Álvarez-Pérez, Gonzalo AU - Prieto Gonzalez, Ivan AU - Martín-Sánchez, Javier AU - Nikitin, Alexey Y. AU - Alonso-González, Pablo ID - 10866 IS - 7 JF - Nano Letters KW - Mechanical Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - General Chemistry KW - Bioengineering SN - 1530-6984 TI - Twisted nano-optics: Manipulating light at the nanoscale with twisted phonon polaritonic slabs VL - 20 ER - TY - JOUR AB - We demonstrate a method for manipulating small ensembles of vortices in multiply connected superconducting structures. A micron-size magnetic particle attached to the tip of a silicon cantilever is used to locally apply magnetic flux through the superconducting structure. By scanning the tip over the surface of the device and by utilizing the dynamical coupling between the vortices and the cantilever, a high-resolution spatial map of the different vortex configurations is obtained. Moving the tip to a particular location in the map stabilizes a distinct multivortex configuration. Thus, the scanning of the tip over a particular trajectory in space permits nontrivial operations to be performed, such as braiding of individual vortices within a larger vortex ensemble—a key capability required by many proposals for topological quantum computing. AU - Polshyn, Hryhoriy AU - Naibert, Tyler AU - Budakian, Raffi ID - 10622 IS - 8 JF - Nano Letters KW - mechanical engineering KW - condensed matter physics KW - general materials science KW - general chemistry KW - bioengineering SN - 1530-6984 TI - Manipulating multivortex states in superconducting structures VL - 19 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Efficient isomerization of photochromic molecules often requires conformational freedom and is typically not available under solvent-free conditions. Here, we report a general methodology allowing for reversible switching of such molecules on the surfaces of solid materials. Our method is based on dispersing photochromic compounds within polysilsesquioxane nanowire networks (PNNs), which can be fabricated as transparent, highly porous, micrometer-thick layers on various substrates. We found that azobenzene switching within the PNNs proceeded unusually fast compared with the same molecules in liquid solvents. Efficient isomerization of another photochromic system, spiropyran, from a colorless to a colored form was used to create reversible images in PNN-coated glass. The coloration reaction could be induced with sunlight and is of interest for developing “smart” windows. AU - Chu, Zonglin AU - Klajn, Rafal ID - 13370 IS - 10 JF - Nano Letters KW - Mechanical Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - General Chemistry KW - Bioengineering SN - 1530-6984 TI - Polysilsesquioxane nanowire networks as an “Artificial Solvent” for reversible operation of photochromic molecules VL - 19 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The bacteriophage M13 has found frequent applications in nanobiotechnology due to its chemically and genetically tunable protein surface and its ability to self-assemble into colloidal membranes. Additionally, its single-stranded (ss) genome is commonly used as scaffold for DNA origami. Despite the manifold uses of M13, upstream production methods for phage and scaffold ssDNA are underexamined with respect to future industrial usage. Here, the high-cell-density phage production with Escherichia coli as host organism was studied in respect of medium composition, infection time, multiplicity of infection, and specific growth rate. The specific growth rate and the multiplicity of infection were identified as the crucial state variables that influence phage amplification rate on one hand and the concentration of produced ssDNA on the other hand. Using a growth rate of 0.15 h−1 and a multiplicity of infection of 0.05 pfu cfu−1 in the fed-batch production process, the concentration of pure isolated M13 ssDNA usable for scaffolded DNA origami could be enhanced by 54% to 590 mg L−1. Thus, our results help enabling M13 production for industrial uses in nanobiotechnology. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 777–784. AU - Kick, Benjamin AU - Hensler, Samantha AU - Praetorius, Florian M AU - Dietz, Hendrik AU - Weuster-Botz, Dirk ID - 14286 IS - 4 JF - Biotechnology and Bioengineering KW - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology KW - Bioengineering KW - Biotechnology SN - 0006-3592 TI - Specific growth rate and multiplicity of infection affect high-cell-density fermentation with bacteriophage M13 for ssDNA production VL - 114 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The chemical behaviour of molecules can be significantly modified by confinement to volumes comparable to the dimensions of the molecules. Although such confined spaces can be found in various nanostructured materials, such as zeolites, nanoporous organic frameworks and colloidal nanocrystal assemblies, the slow diffusion of molecules in and out of these materials has greatly hampered studying the effect of confinement on their physicochemical properties. Here, we show that this diffusion limitation can be overcome by reversibly creating and destroying confined environments by means of ultraviolet and visible light irradiation. We use colloidal nanocrystals functionalized with light-responsive ligands that readily self-assemble and trap various molecules from the surrounding bulk solution. Once trapped, these molecules can undergo chemical reactions with increased rates and with stereoselectivities significantly different from those in bulk solution. Illumination with visible light disassembles these nanoflasks, releasing the product in solution and thereby establishes a catalytic cycle. These dynamic nanoflasks can be useful for studying chemical reactivities in confined environments and for synthesizing molecules that are otherwise hard to achieve in bulk solution. AU - Zhao, Hui AU - Sen, Soumyo AU - Udayabhaskararao, T. AU - Sawczyk, Michał AU - Kučanda, Kristina AU - Manna, Debasish AU - Kundu, Pintu K. AU - Lee, Ji-Woong AU - Král, Petr AU - Klajn, Rafal ID - 13392 JF - Nature Nanotechnology KW - Electrical and Electronic Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - Biomedical Engineering KW - Atomic and Molecular Physics KW - and Optics KW - Bioengineering SN - 1748-3387 TI - Reversible trapping and reaction acceleration within dynamically self-assembling nanoflasks VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The reversible molecular template-directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), a process which relies solely on noncovalent bonding interactions, has been demonstrated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). By employing a well-known host−guest binding motif, the AuNPs have been systemized into discrete dimers, trimers, and tetramers. These nanoparticulate twins, triplets, and quadruplets, which can be disassembled and reassembled either chemically or electrochemically, can be coalesced into larger, permanent polygonal structures by thermal treatment using a focused HR-TEM electron beam. AU - Olson, Mark A. AU - Coskun, Ali AU - Klajn, Rafal AU - Fang, Lei AU - Dey, Sanjeev K. AU - Browne, Kevin P. AU - Grzybowski, Bartosz A. AU - Stoddart, J. Fraser ID - 13416 IS - 9 JF - Nano Letters KW - Mechanical Engineering KW - Condensed Matter Physics KW - General Materials Science KW - General Chemistry KW - Bioengineering SN - 1530-6984 TI - Assembly of polygonal nanoparticle clusters directed by reversible noncovalent bonding interactions VL - 9 ER -