Electric field polarization orientations and gradients close to near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) probes render nano-Raman fundamentally different from micro-Raman spectroscopy. With x-polarized light incident through an NSOM aperture, transmitted light has x, y and z components allowing nano-Raman investigators to probe a variety of polarization configurations. In addition, the str...

A photocrosslinkable trehalose derivative carrying mesogenic groups was synthesized by esterification reactions. The derivative (TC-HBPHA) was synthesized by the reaction of partially cinnamoyl-modified trehalose (TC4) with 4-(4-hexyloxybenzoyloxy)phenoxy-6-oxohexanoic acid (HBPHA) as a mesogenic unit. TC-HBPHA showed a nematic liquid crystalline mesophase at a temperature range from 150 °C to ...

We present an experimental study of the coupling of light from a probe of a scanning near-field optical microscope ~SNOM! into a mesoscopic structure consisting of gold stripes with varying separations. We demonstrate that the coupling efficiency depends upon the polarization direction in the probe relative to the stripes as well as the separation between the lines. Two possible explanations fo...

Dichroic behaviors of layered ReS2 have been characterized using angular dependent polarized-absorption and resistivity measurements in the van der Waal plane. The angular dependent optical and electrical measurements are carried out with angles ranging from  = 0 ̊ (E || b) to  = 90 ̊ (E  b) with respect to the layer crystal’s b-axis. The angular dependence of polarized energy gaps of ReS2 sho...

We present the development of a versatile spectroscopic imaging tool to allow for imaging with single-molecule sensitivity and high spatial resolution. The microscope allows for near-field and subdiffraction-limited far-field imaging by integrating a shear-force microscope on top of a custom inverted microscope design. The instrument has the ability to image in ambient conditions with optical r...

The synthesis of a series of new rod-coil diblock copolymers with different molecular weights and low polydispersity was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization. The block architecture (coil-conformation of styrene segment and rigid-rod conformation of 2,5-bis[(4-methoxyphenyl)-oxycarbonyl]styrene segment) of the diblock copolymers was experimentally confirmed by proton nuclear magneti...

Synthetic LAPONITE®-clay particles with platelet-like shape display strong aging when dispersed in aqueous solutions, preventing the latter from reaching their natural liquid-crystalline equilibrium state. Here we introduce a facile method that successfully prevents this aging behaviour and enables accessing the systems' liquid-crystal and crystalline phases. We graft the comb-like polymer PLL-...

The first stages of the crystallization of polycaprolactone (PCL) were studied using several techniques. The crystallization exotherms measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed and compared with results obtained by polarized optical microscopy (POM), rheology, and atomic force microscope (AFM). The experimental results suggest a strong influence of the observation scale....

This study deals with the fabrication of biodegradable porous materials from bacterial polyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (P3HB3HHx), via thermally induced phase separation. P3HB3HHx monoliths with topological porous structure were prepared by dissolution of P3HB3HHx in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 85 ̋C and subsequent quenching. The microstructure of the resulting P3HB3HH...

We use the spin-polarized excitons in a single quantum dot to design optical controls for basic operations in quantum computing. We examine the ultrafast nonlinear optical processes required and use the coherent nonlinear optical responses to deduce if such processes are physically reasonable. The importance and construction of an entangled state of polarized exciton states in a single quantum ...