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Here, we perform a Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence (SEF) intensity and lifetime imaging study on linear arrays of silver half-shells (LASHSs), a class of polarization-sensitive hybrid colloidal photonic–plasmonic crystal unexplored previously in SEF. By combining fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, scanning confocal fluorescence imaging, Rayleigh scattering imaging, optical microscopy, and finite difference time domain simulations, we identify with high accuracy the spatial locations where SEF effects (intensity increase and lifetime decrease) take place. These locations are the junctions/crevices between adjacent half-shells in the LASHS and locations of high electromagnetic field enhancement and strong emitter–plasmon interactions, as confirmed also by simulated field maps. Such detailed knowledge of the distributed SEF enhancements and lifetime modification distribution, with respect to topography, should prove useful for improved future evaluations of SEF enhancement factors and a more rational design of efficiency-optimized SEF substrates. These linear arrays of metal-coated microspheres expand the family of hybrid colloidal photonic–plasmonic crystals, platforms with potential for applications in optoelectronic devices, fluorescence-based (bio)chemical sensing, or medical assays. In particular, due to the polarized optical response of these LASHSs, specific applications such as hidden tags for anti-counterfeiting or plasmon-enhanced photodetection can be foreseen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design of two plasmonic nanostructures and the propagation of frequency-bin entangled photons through them. The experimental findings clearly show the robustness of frequency-bin entanglement, which survives after interactions with both a hybrid plasmo-photonic structure, and a nano-pillar array. These results confirm that quantum states can be encoded into the collective motion of a many-body electronic system without demolishing their quantum nature, and pave the way towards applications of plasmonic structures in quantum information.

In this paper, the resonance modes exhibited by a hybrid nanostructure have been disentangled in the far-field owing to narrow-band fluorescence nano-reporters. Hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystals were fabricated using large (457 nm) monodisperse polystyrene spheres self-assembled into 2D photonic crystals and subsequently coated by a 30 nm thick silver layer. Such structures exhibit a complex resonance pattern, which has been elucidated owing to numerical simulations and electric near-field patterns obtained with a scattering type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). For the sake of disentangling the resonance modes of the hybrid structure in the far-field, different types of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), acting as nano-reporters of the local interactions, were dispersed on top of distinct structures. Depending on the relative overlap of the emission spectrum of a particular type of QDs with the resonance features of the hybrid structure, we affect their emission rate in a unique way, as a consequence of the complex interaction occurring between the plasmo-photonic modes and the excitons. Such plasmonic structures appear to be particularly relevant for fluorescence-based sensing devices.

We report on the influence of a well-designed passband in the stop band of a suitably engineered self-assembled colloidal photonic crystal superlattice on the steady-state emission properties of infiltrated fluorophores. The photonic superlattice was built by convective self-assembly of slabs of silica spheres of two different sizes. Transmission experiments on the engineered photonic crystal structure show two stop bands with an effective passband in between. The presence of this passband results in a narrow spectral range of increased density of states for photon modes. This shows up as a decrease in the emission suppression (enhancement of the emission) in the narrow effective passband spectral region. These experiments indicate that the threshold for lasing can possibly be lowered by spectrally narrowing the emission of fluorophores infiltrated in suitably engineered self-assembled photonic crystal superlattices, and are therefore important towards the realization of efficient all-optical integrated circuits from functionalized photonic superlattices and heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating photo‐induced reactions exclusively on catalyst surfaces while not exploiting the full catalyst volume generates a major footprint penalty for the photocatalytic reactor and leads to an inefficient use of the catalytic material. Photonic investigations clearly show that the solid foams have a strongly multidiffusive character, with photons being significantly trapped within the sample cores while addressing a photon mean free path lt = 20.1 ± 1.3 µm. This 3D process both greatly limits back‐reactions and promotes outstanding selectivity toward methane (around 80%) generation, and even ethane (around 18%) through C‐C coupling reaction, with residual carbon monoxide and dihydrogen contents (around 2%). Silica–titania TiO2@Si(HIPE) self‐standing macrocellular catalysts lead to optimal efficient thicknesses up to 20 times those of powders, thereby enhancing the way for real 3D‐photodriven catalytic processes above the millimeter scale and up to a 6 mm thickness. A rather simple Langmuir–Hinshelwood based kinetic model is proposed which highlights the strong dependence of photocatalytic reaction rates on light scattering and the crucial role on oxidation back‐reactions. In addition, a strong correlation between light attenuation coefficient and photon mean free path and median pore aperture diameter is demonstrated, offering thus a tool for photocatalytic behavior prediction.Novel TiO2@Si(HIPE) monolithic macrocellular foams offer a path for real 3D photodriven CO2 conversion at the millimeter thickness length scale, a configuration where “thicker is better” appears as a new paradigm. The light trapping scenario and the associated photoinduced electron within the foams both limit back‐reactions and promote outstanding selectivity toward methane, as well as ethane generation through the C‐C coupling reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]