Graded index broadband antireflection coating prepared by glancing angle deposition for a high-power laser system

This paper reports that SiO2 is selected to fabricate broadband antireflection （AR） coatings on fused silica substrate by using glancing angle deposition and physical vapour deposition. Through accurate control of the graded index of the SiO2 layer, transmittance of thc graded broadband AR coating can achieve an average value of 98% across a spectral range of 300-1850 nm. Moreover, a laser-induced damage threshold measurement of the fabricated AR coating is performed by using a one-on-one protocol according to ISOl1254-1, resulting in an average damage threshold of 17.2 J/cm2.

Oblique angle deposition and its applications in plasmonics

Plasmonics based on localized surface plasmon resonance （LSPR） has found many exciting appli- cations recently. Those applications usually require a good morphological and structural control of metallic nanostructures. Oblique angle deposition （OAD） has been demonstrated as a powerful technique for various plasmonic applications due to its advantages in controlling the size, shape, and composition of metallic nanostructures. In this review, we focus on the fabrication of metallic nanostructures by OAD and their applications in plasmonics. After a brief introduction to OAD technique, recent progress of applying OAD in fabricating noble metallic nanostructures for LSPR sensing, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, surface-enhanced infrared absorption, metal-enhanced fluorescence, and metamaterials, and their corresponding properties are reviewed. The future requirements for OAD plasmonics applications are also discussed.

Superhydrophobic and antireflective nanograss-coated glass for high performance solar cells

We present a facile method for producing superhydrophobic nanograss-coated （SNGC） glass surfaces that possess both reduced reflectivity and self-cleaning properties at the air/glass interface. The refractive index of a CaF2 nanograss （NG） layer on a glass substrate, deposited by glancing angle vapor deposition, is 1.04 at 500 nm, which is the second-lowest value ever reported so far. The fluorinated NG layer gives rise to a high water contact angle （〉150°） and very efficient cleaning out of dust with water drops. Using the dual functionalities of the SNGC glass, we demonstrate superhydrophobic and antireflective organic photovoltaic cells with excellent power conversion efficiency.

Realignment of Slanted Fe Nanorods on Silicon Substrates by a Strong Magnetic Field

Slanted Fe nanorods prepared by glancing angle deposition on silicon substrates exhibited easy magnetization along their growth axis. By using a thin gold film on a silicon substrate as a buffer layer, slanted Fe nanorods can be realigned towards the substrate surface normal by a strong magnetic field. After realignment, the Fe nanorods retained the easy magnetization axis along their growth axis. The effects of the realignment by the strong magnetic field on the properties of the slanted Fe nanorods were also investigated. This study provides a possible way to fabricate magnetic nanostructures for perpendicular recording applications.

Catalytic nanomotors： fabrication, mechanism, and applications

Catalytic nanomotors are nano-to-micrometer-sized actuators that carry an on-board catalyst and convert local chemical fuel in solution into mechanical work. The location of this catalyst as well as the geometry of the structure dictate the swimming behaviors exhibited. The nanomotors can occur naturally in organic molecules, combine natural and artificial parts to form hybrid nanomotors or be purely artificial. Fabrication techniques consist of template directed electroplating, lithography, physical vapor deposition, and other advanced growth methods. Various physical and chemical propulsion mechanisms have been proposed to explain the motion behaviors including diffusiophoresis, bubble propulsion, interracial tension gradients, and self-electrophoresis. The control and manipulation based upon external fields, catalytic alloys, and motion control through thermal modulation are discussed as well. Catalytic nanomotors represent an exciting technological challenge with the end goal being practical functional nanomachines that can perform a variety of tasks at the nanoscale.

Chiral nanoparticle-induced amplification in optical activity of molecules with chiral centers

Sensitive differentiation of an enantiomer from its mirror image(ie,enantiodifferentiation),a perennial challenge for pharmaceutical production and disease diagnosis,is technically limited by the weak optical activity(OA)of enantiomers,mainly due to their dimensional mismatch with light wavelengths in the ultraviolet(UV)-visible region.Here we use silver chiral nanoparticles(Ag CNPs)with nominally sub-5 nm helical pitch(P)to amplify the OA of(20R,30R,40S)-riboflavin-50-phosphate sodium salts(RP),which have been found to indirectly affect metabolic processes,through the formation of an RP thin film(TF)covering a close-packed array of Ag CNPs.The OA of the RP in the deep-UV region can be amplified up to 80-fold,ascribed to the aggregation of RP in the TFs and the interactions between RP and the atomically chiral lattices at the CNPs'surfaces.The former contribution,not associated with the chiral Ag topographies,plays a dominant role by thickening the RP TFs,so that the observed amplification has no enantioselective dependence on the chirality of the Ag CNPs.This study extends progress in the sensitive detection of bio-enantiomers,which is highly desired for advanced bio-detection in disease diagnosis and production of single-enantiomer pharmaceuticals.

Fabrication of Optical Tunable Helical Thin Films

Circular polarization selection of light is an important property of helical micro-nanostructure.The helical thin films fabricated by glancing angle deposition can provide both circular polarization selection and wavelength tuning in this work.Their selective transmissions were depicted in calculations and experiments.The wavelength tuning mechanism was revealed as the relationship between peak wavelength and deposition parameters.Therefore,tunable circular polarization components can be designed according to the mechanism mentioned above and fabricated by glancing angle deposition techniques.Potential applications include tunable optical filters,optical pulse-shapers,biosensors etc.