Photonics / Fotonik
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/2590
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Article Citation - WoS: 7Citation - Scopus: 7Breaking the Boundaries of the Goldschmidt Tolerance Factor With Ethylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Nanocrystals(American Chemical Society, 2024) Güvenç, Çetin Meriç; Toso, Stefano; Ivanov, Yurii P.; Saleh, Gabriele; Balcı, Sinan; Divitini, Giorgio; Manna, LiberatoWe report the synthesis of ethylammonium lead iodide (EAPbI3) colloidal nanocrystals as another member of the lead halide perovskites family. The insertion of an unusually large A-cation (274 pm in diameter) in the perovskite structure, hitherto considered unlikely due to the unfavorable Goldschmidt tolerance factor, results in a significantly larger lattice parameter compared to the Cs-, methylammonium- and formamidinium-based lead halide perovskite homologues. As a consequence, EAPbI3 nanocrystals are highly unstable, evolving to a nonperovskite delta-EAPbI3 polymorph within 1 day. Also, EAPbI3 nanocrystals are very sensitive to electron irradiation and quickly degrade to PbI2 upon exposure to the electron beam, following a mechanism similar to that of other hybrid lead iodide perovskites (although degradation can be reduced by partially replacing the EA+ ions with Cs+ ions). Interestingly, in some cases during this degradation the formation of an epitaxial interface between (EA x Cs1-x )PbI3 and PbI2 is observed. The photoluminescence emission of the EAPbI3 perovskite nanocrystals, albeit being characterized by a low quantum yield (similar to 1%), can be tuned in the 664-690 nm range by regulating their size during the synthesis. The emission efficiency can be improved upon partial alloying at the A site with Cs+ or formamidinium cations. Furthermore, the morphology of the EAPbI3 nanocrystals can be chosen to be either nanocube or nanoplatelet, depending on the synthesis conditions.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Calcium Indicators With Fluorescence Lifetime-Based Signal Readout: a Structure-Function Study(MDPI, 2024) Simonyan, Tatiana R.; Varfolomeeva, Larisa A.; Mamontova, Anastasia V.; Kotlobay, Alexey A.; Gorokhovatsky, Andrey Y.; Bogdanov, Alexey M.; Boyko, Konstantin M.The calcium cation is a crucial signaling molecule involved in numerous cellular pathways. Beyond its role as a messenger or modulator in intracellular cascades, calcium's function in excitable cells, including nerve impulse transmission, is remarkable. The central role of calcium in nervous activity has driven the rapid development of fluorescent techniques for monitoring this cation in living cells. Specifically, genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are the most in-demand molecular tools in their class. In this work, we address two issues of calcium imaging by designing indicators based on the successful GCaMP6 backbone and the fluorescent protein BrUSLEE. The first indicator variant (GCaMP6s-BrUS), with a reduced, calcium-insensitive fluorescence lifetime, has potential in monitoring calcium dynamics with a high temporal resolution in combination with advanced microscopy techniques, such as light beads microscopy, where the fluorescence lifetime limits acquisition speed. Conversely, the second variant (GCaMP6s-BrUS-145), with a flexible, calcium-sensitive fluorescence lifetime, is relevant for static measurements, particularly for determining absolute calcium concentration values using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). To identify the structural determinants of calcium sensitivity in these indicator variants, we determine their spatial structures. A comparative structural analysis allowed the optimization of the GCaMP6s-BrUS construct, resulting in an indicator variant combining calcium-sensitive behavior in the time domain and enhanced molecular brightness. Our data may serve as a starting point for further engineering efforts towards improved GECI variants with fine-tuned fluorescence lifetimes.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 6Ion and Molecule Sieving Through Highly Stable Graphene-Based Laminar Membranes(Amer Chemical Soc, 2023) Yuan, Gang; Jiang, Yu; Wang, Xiao; Ma, Jiaojiao; Ma, Hao; Wang, Xiang; Hu, ShengBiological ion channels use both their sizes and residual groups to reject large ions and molecules and allow highly selective permeation of small species with similar sizes. To realize these properties in artificial membranes, the main challenge is the precise control of both the channel size and the interior at the nanoscale. Here we report the permeation of ions and molecules through interlayer channels in graphene-based laminar membranes. The amino groups decorated on channel walls are found to form hydrogen bond networks with intercalated water molecules, thus providing a highly stable laminate structure and a controlled channel size. Solutes with hydration diameters of >10 angstrom are precisely sieved out. Small species permeate through with selectivities of up to a few thousand, governed by their distinct electrical interactions with channels depending on the atomistic distance from the charged species to the channel walls. Our work offers important insights into manipulating channel structures for enhanced separation performance at the nanoscale.Article Citation - WoS: 32Citation - Scopus: 31Wien Effect in Interfacial Water Dissociation Through Proton-Permeable Graphene Electrodes(Nature Research, 2022) Cai, Junhao; Griffin, Eoin; Guarochico-Moreira, Victor H.; Barry, D.; Xin, B.; Yağmurcukardeş, Mehmet; Zhang, Sheng; Geim, Andre K.; Peeters, François M.; Lozada-Hidalgo, MarceloStrong electric fields can accelerate molecular dissociation reactions. The phenomenon known as the Wien effect was previously observed using high-voltage electrolysis cells that produced fields of about 107 V m−1, sufficient to accelerate the dissociation of weakly bound molecules (e.g., organics and weak electrolytes). The observation of the Wien effect for the common case of water dissociation (H2O ⇆ H+ + OH−) has remained elusive. Here we study the dissociation of interfacial water adjacent to proton-permeable graphene electrodes and observe strong acceleration of the reaction in fields reaching above 108 V m−1. The use of graphene electrodes allows measuring the proton currents arising exclusively from the dissociation of interfacial water, while the electric field driving the reaction is monitored through the carrier density induced in graphene by the same field. The observed exponential increase in proton currents is in quantitative agreement with Onsager’s theory. Our results also demonstrate that graphene electrodes can be valuable for the investigation of various interfacial phenomena involving proton transport.Article Citation - WoS: 40Citation - Scopus: 38Gas Permeation Through Graphdiyne-Based Nanoporous Membranes(Nature Research, 2022) Zhou, Zhihua; Tan, Yongtao; Yang, Qian; Bera, Achintya; Xiong, Zecheng; Yağmurcukardeş, Mehmet; Kim, MinsooNanoporous membranes based on two dimensional materials are predicted to provide highly selective gas transport in combination with extreme permeance. Here we investigate membranes made from multilayer graphdiyne, a graphene-like crystal with a larger unit cell. Despite being nearly a hundred of nanometers thick, the membranes allow fast, Knudsen-type permeation of light gases such as helium and hydrogen whereas heavy noble gases like xenon exhibit strongly suppressed flows. Using isotope and cryogenic temperature measurements, the seemingly conflicting characteristics are explained by a high density of straight-through holes (direct porosity of ∼0.1%), in which heavy atoms are adsorbed on the walls, partially blocking Knudsen flows. Our work offers important insights into intricate transport mechanisms playing a role at nanoscale.Article Citation - WoS: 84Citation - Scopus: 82Topological Engineering of Terahertz Light Using Electrically Tunable Exceptional Point Singularities(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2022) Ergöktaş, M. Said; Soleymani, Sina; Kakenov, Nurbek; Wang, Kaiyuan; Smith, Thomas B.; Bakan, Gökhan; Balcı, Sinan; Principi, Alessandro; Novoselov, Kostya S.; Özdemir, Şahin K.; Kocabaş, ÇoşkunThe topological structure associated with the branch point singularity around an exceptional point (EP) can provide tools for controlling the propagation of light. Through use of graphene-based devices, we demonstrate the emergence of EPs in an electrically controlled interaction between light and a collection of organic molecules in the terahertz regime at room temperature. We show that the intensity and phase of terahertz pulses can be controlled by a gate voltage, which drives the device across the EP. Our electrically tunable system allows reconstruction of the Riemann surface associated with the complex energy landscape and provides topological control of light by tuning the loss imbalance and frequency detuning of interacting modes. Our approach provides a platform for developing topological optoelectronics and studying the manifestations of EP physics in light-matter interactions.Article Citation - WoS: 17Citation - Scopus: 19Strong Coupling of Carbon Quantum Dots in Liquid Crystals(American Chemical Society, 2022) Sarısözen, Sema; Polat, Nahit; Mert Balcı, Fadime; Güvenç, Çetin Meriç; Kocabaş, Çoşkun; Yağlıoğlu, Halime Gül; Balcı, SinanCarbon quantum dots (CDs) have recently received a tremendous amount of interest owing to their attractive optical properties. However, CDs have broad absorption and emission spectra limiting their application ranges. We herein, for the first time, show synthesis of water-soluble red emissive CDs with a very narrow line width (∼75 meV) spectral absorbance and hence demonstrate strong coupling of CDs and plasmon polaritons in liquid crystalline mesophases. The excited state dynamics of CDs has been studied by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, and CDs display very stable and strong photoluminescence emission with a quantum yield of 35.4% and a lifetime of ∼2 ns. More importantly, we compare J-aggregate dyes with CDs in terms of their absorption line width, photostability, and ability to do strong coupling, and we conclude that highly fluorescent CDs have a bright future in the mixed light-matter states for emerging applications in future quantum technologies.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 7Interface-Dependent Phononic and Optical Properties of Geo/Moso Heterostructures(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022) Yağmurcukardeş, Mehmet; Sözen, Yiğit; Başkurt, Mehmet; Peeters, François M.; Şahin, HasanThe interface-dependent electronic, vibrational, piezoelectric, and optical properties of van der Waals heterobilayers, formed by buckled GeO (b-GeO) and Janus MoSO structures, are investigated by means of first-principles calculations. The electronic band dispersions show that O/Ge and S/O interface formations result in a type-II band alignment with direct and indirect band gaps, respectively. In contrast, O/O and S/Ge interfaces give rise to the formation of a type-I band alignment with an indirect band gap. By considering the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) on top of G0W0 approximation, it is shown that different interfaces can be distinguished from each other by means of the optical absorption spectra as a consequence of the band alignments. Additionally, the low-and high-frequency regimes of the Raman spectra are also different for each interface type. The alignment of the individual dipoles, which is interface-dependent, either weakens or strengthens the net dipole of the heterobilayers and results in tunable piezoelectric coefficients. The results indicate that the possible heterobilayers of b-GeO/MoSO asymmetric structures possess various electronic, optical, and piezoelectric properties arising from the different interface formations and can be distinguished by means of various spectroscopic techniques.Article Citation - WoS: 62Citation - Scopus: 59Exponentially Selective Molecular Sieving Through Angstrom Pores(Nature Publishing Group, 2021) Sun, Pengzhan; Yağmurcukardeş, Mehmet; Zhang, R.; Kuang, Wenjun; Lozada-Hidalgo, Marcelo; Liu, B. L.; Geim, Andre K.Two-dimensional crystals with angstrom-scale pores are widely considered as candidates for a next generation of molecular separation technologies aiming to provide extreme, exponentially large selectivity combined with high flow rates. No such pores have been demonstrated experimentally. Here we study gas transport through individual graphene pores created by low intensity exposure to low kV electrons. Helium and hydrogen permeate easily through these pores whereas larger species such as xenon and methane are practically blocked. Permeating gases experience activation barriers that increase quadratically with molecules’ kinetic diameter, and the effective diameter of the created pores is estimated as ∼2 angstroms, about one missing carbon ring. Our work reveals stringent conditions for achieving the long sought-after exponential selectivity using porous two-dimensional membranes and suggests limits on their possible performance.Article Citation - WoS: 192Citation - Scopus: 194Multispectral Graphene-Based Electro-Optical Surfaces With Reversible Tunability From Visible To Microwave Wavelengths(Nature Research, 2021) Ergoktas, M. Said; Bakan, Gökhan; Kovalska, Evgeniya; Le Fevre, Lewis W.; Fields, Richard P.; Steiner, Pietro; Yu, Xiaoxiao; Balcı, SinanOptical materials with colour changing abilities have been explored for use in display devices(1), smart windows(2,3) or in the modulation of visual appearance(4-6). The efficiency of these materials, however, has strong wavelength dependence, which limits their functionality to a specific spectral range. Here, we report graphene-based electro-optical devices with unprecedented optical tunability covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum from the visible to microwave. We achieve this non-volatile and reversible tunability by electro-intercalation of lithium into graphene layers in an optically accessible device structure. The unique colour changing capability, together with area-selective intercalation, inspires the fabrication of new multispectral devices, including display devices and electro-optical camouflage coating. We anticipate that these results provide realistic approaches for programmable smart optical surfaces with a potential utility in many scientific and engineering fields such as active plasmonics and adaptive thermal management.