Orientation-dependent photonic bandgaps in gold-dust weevil scales and their titania bioreplicates

• Norma Salvadores Farran,
• Limin Wang,
• Primoz Pirih and
• Bodo D. Wilts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.1

• 10.3762/bjnano.16.1 Abstract The scales of the gold-dust weevil Hypomeces squamosus are green because of three-dimensional diamond-type chitin–air photonic crystals with an average periodicity of about 430 nm and a chitin fill fraction of about 0.44. A single scale usually contains one to three

• particular, three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals are characterized by a photonic bandgap that prohibits light of certain wavelengths from propagating through (specific) orientations of the material [3]. A complete photonic bandgap, where propagation of light waves in a certain wavelength band is

• prohibited, is generally not possible with biological photonic crystals, as the refractive index contrast (approx. 1.55) between chitin and air is too low to achieve this condition [4][5]. The intriguing properties of photonic bandgap materials extend beyond coloration, as they can be used for manipulating

Lithium niobate on insulator: an emerging nanophotonic crystal for optimized light control

• Midhun Murali,
• Amit Banerjee and
• Tanmoy Basu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1415–1426, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.114

• , parametric amplifiers, and photonic integrated circuits. Recently, LN photonic crystals have garnered attention as a compelling candidate for incorporation into photonic integrated circuits, showcasing their potential in advancing the field. Photonic crystals possess a widely acknowledged capability to

• , and spin–photon entanglement), and detection (involving single-photon detectors). Keywords: integrated photonics; lithium niobate; photonic bandgap; photonic crystal; titanium dioxide; Introduction One-dimensional photonic crystals (PhCs) are electromagnetic media in which materials are periodically

• from the visible to the infrared (400–5000 nm) [13]. The high degree of flexibility in fabrication created functional photonic nanostructures such as microring, periodically poled lithium niobate, and photonic crystals [14][15]. This versatility makes it suitable for DBRs to be used in various

Observation of multiple bulk bound states in the continuum modes in a photonic crystal cavity

• Rui Chen,
• Yi Zheng,
• Xingyu Huang,
• Qiaoling Lin,
• Chaochao Ye,
• Meng Xiong,
• Martijn Wubs,
• Yungui Ma,
• Minhao Pu and
• Sanshui Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 544–551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.45

• in the continuum (BICs) in photonic crystals gives rise to the realization of resonances with high quality factors for lasing and nonlinear applications. For BIC cavities in finite-size photonic crystals, the bulk resonance band turns into discrete modes with different mode profiles and radiation

• Q factors [29][30]. Photonic crystals (PhCs) are composed of periodic unit cells that modulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves by defining allowed and forbidden energy bands. Because of the slow group velocity, photons are confined in the transverse direction at the band edge of the PhC. By

Biocatalytic synthesis and ordered self-assembly of silica nanoparticles via a silica-binding peptide

• Mustafa Gungormus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 280–290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.25

• refractive indices. These structures are referred to as photonic crystals and can be manufactured synthetically for various optical applications. Similar optical behavior of the opal-like structures formed in this study will be demonstrated and discussed below. The fast Fourier transform of the SEM images

Double-layer symmetric gratings with bound states in the continuum for dual-band high-Q optical sensing

• Chaoying Shi,
• Jinhua Hu,
• Xiuhong Liu,
• Junfang Liang,
• Jijun Zhao,
• Haiyan Han and
• Qiaofen Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1408–1417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.116

• infinite structure or in extreme values of the parameters [25][26]. The structures that are commonly used to induce the BIC include metasurfaces [27][28], dielectric gratings [29][30], photonic crystals [31], and whispering-gallery resonators [32]. In 2016, Wang et al. investigated a symmetry-protected BIC

Enhanced electronic transport properties of Te roll-like nanostructures

• E. R. Viana,
• N. Cifuentes and
• J. C. González

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1284–1291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.106

• Earth’s crust and a well-known p-type and narrow-bandgap (≈0.35 eV at room temperature) semiconductor material. Tellurium is widely used in thermoelectric devices, piezoelectric devices, photoconductive devices, gas sensing, nonlinear optical devices, solar cells, photonic crystals, holographic recording

Analytical and numerical design of a hybrid Fabry–Perot plano-concave microcavity for hexagonal boron nitride

• Felipe Ortiz-Huerta and
• Karina Garay-Palmett

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1030–1037, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.90

• microcavities [8], microdisk resonators [9], and photonic crystals [10][11] have been designed and built around color centers in hBN to increase its spontaneous emission by means of Purcell effect. An alternative and low-cost approach to build photonic structures uses polymers to embed different types of SPEs

A photonic crystal material for the online detection of nonpolar hydrocarbon vapors

• Evgenii S. Bolshakov,
• Aleksander V. Ivanov,
• Andrei A. Kozlov,
• Anton S. Aksenov,
• Elena V. Isanbaeva,
• Sergei E. Kushnir,
• Aleksei D. Yapryntsev,
• Aleksander E. Baranchikov and
• Yury A. Zolotov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 127–136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.9

• organic solvents that are used in some construction materials. This article contains an overview of how 3D photonic crystals are used for the creation of a new test system for nonpolar organic solvents. The morphology and structural parameters of the photonic crystals, based upon a crystalline colloidal

• ) hydrocarbons has been analyzed. The reconstitution of spectral parameters of the sensor during the periodic detection of saturated vapors of toluene has been evaluated. Keywords: diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; photonic crystal sensor; stimuli-responsive materials; Introduction Photonic crystals (PhCs

• [14]. Most of the configuration changes of the photonic bandgap in opal and inverse opal structures occur due to swelling or compression of the polymer matrix or gel. To date, four main methods for the modification of photonic crystals are used for the creation of stimuli-responsive materials: (a

Mapping the local dielectric constant of a biological nanostructured system

• Wescley Walison Valeriano,
• Rodrigo Ribeiro Andrade,
• Juan Pablo Vasco,
• Angelo Malachias,
• Bernardo Ruegger Almeida Neves,
• Paulo Sergio Soares Guimarães and
• Wagner Nunes Rodrigues

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 139–150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.11

• work is to determine the varying dielectric constant of a biological nanostructured system via electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) and to show how this method is useful to study natural photonic crystals. We mapped the dielectric constant of the cross section of the posterior wing of the damselfly

• ; electrostatic force microscopy (EFM); natural photonic crystals; relative permittivity; structural colors; Introduction The dielectric constant, or relative permittivity, is a fundamental physical property that is crucial for describing various biological, chemical, or physical phenomena. It is a material

• such as the full understanding of proteins [1][2] or in the development of solar cells [3]. Natural photonic crystals are exciting nanostructured systems in which the dielectric properties play a fundamental role [4]. Many of them are biological systems where the richness of colors, produced by

Hexagonal boron nitride: a review of the emerging material platform for single-photon sources and the spin–photon interface

• Stefania Castelletto,
• Faraz A. Inam,
• Shin-ichiro Sato and
• Alberto Boretti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 740–769, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.61

• , quantum computation, and quantum sensing. Their integration in photonic structures such as photonic crystals, microdisks, microring resonators, and nanopillars is essential for their deployment in quantum technologies. While there are currently only two material platforms (diamond and silicon carbide

Angle-dependent structural colors in a nanoscale-grating photonic crystal fabricated by reverse nanoimprint technology

• Xu Zheng,
• Qing Wang,
• Jinjin Luan,
• Yao Li,
• Ning Wang and
• Rui Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1211–1216, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.120

• Xu Zheng Qing Wang Jinjin Luan Yao Li Ning Wang Rui Zhang Institue of NanoEngineering, College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Shandong University of Science and Technology, 266590 Shandong, China 10.3762/bjnano.10.120 Abstract The structural color of angle-sensitive photonic crystals has

• ; Introduction Photonic crystals have been extensively investigated in recent years because of their potential application in visual sensors [1]. Much attention has been paid to photonic crystals the reflection wavelength of which changes with the observation angle [2]. The photonic crystals can exhibit

• different brilliant structural colors in the visible-light region. As period and depth of the optical structure of the photonic crystal are fixed, the structural color depends on the observation angle [3][4]. Studies show that photonic crystals with grating pattern are the favorable candidates for a variety

Two-dimensional photonic crystals increasing vertical light emission from Si nanocrystal-rich thin layers

• Lukáš Ondič,
• Marian Varga,
• Ivan Pelant,
• Alexander Kromka,
• Karel Hruška and
• Robert G. Elliman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2287–2296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.213

• , Australia 10.3762/bjnano.9.213 Abstract We have fabricated two-dimensional photonic crystals (PhCs) on the surface of Si nanocrystal-rich SiO2 layers with the goal to maximize the photoluminescence extraction efficiency in the normal direction. The fabricated periodic structures consist of columns ordered

• spatial collection angle of 14°. Keywords: leaky modes; photoluminescence; photonic crystals; silicon nanocrystals; Introduction Photonic and plasmonic nanostructures can be employed to manipulate light on the nanoscale [1][2][3][4]. For example, photons emitted within a thin waveguiding layer can be

• ]. On the other hand, periodic structures such as two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PhCs) provide not only enhanced light extraction efficiency but also a control over the emission radiation pattern. Well-designed periodic structures can therefore be used to direct the desired wavelength into a

Field-controlled ultrafast magnetization dynamics in two-dimensional nanoscale ferromagnetic antidot arrays

• Anulekha De,
• Sucheta Mondal,
• Sourav Sahoo,
• Saswati Barman,
• Yoshichika Otani,
• Rajib Kumar Mitra and
• Anjan Barman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1123–1134, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.104

• , effective media for SW propagation due to the larger propagation velocity (steeper dispersion) than nanodot lattices. They find potential applications in magneto-photonic crystals [9], ultrahigh density data storage media [10], frequency-based magnetic nanoparticle detectors [11], waveguides for SWs [12][13

Temperature-tunable lasing from dye-doped chiral microdroplets encapsulated in a thin polymeric film

• Gia Petriashvili,
• Mauro Daniel Luigi Bruno,
• Maria Penelope De Santo and
• Riccardo Barberi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 379–383, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.37

• ), in particular, can be regarded as an example of self-assembled one-dimensional photonic crystals. In fact, molecules in CLCs self-assemble in a chiral supramolecular structure. The helical structure leads to a periodic variation of the refractive index inside the material. Due to the inversion

Al₂O₃/TiO₂ inverse opals from electrosprayed self-assembled templates

• Arnau Coll,
• Sandra Bermejo,
• David Hernández and
• Luís Castañer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 216–223, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.23

• ; photonic crystals; Introduction Periodic structures comprised of different refractive index materials having a lattice constant matching the wavelength of the incident light are known as photonic crystals (PCs). PCs exhibit diffraction properties in one, two and three dimensions with applications in

Design of photonic microcavities in hexagonal boron nitride

• Sejeong Kim,
• Milos Toth and
• Igor Aharonovich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 102–108, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.12

• . Keywords: anisotropic optical materials; boron nitride; photonic crystals; Introduction Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has recently emerged as an interesting platform for nanophotonics. This is mainly due to its promising hyperbolic properties [1][2] as well as the ability to host a range of single photon

• spectral range, which overlap with the ZPLs of SPEs in hBN [24]. We further optimize the structures and model 1D nanobeam photonic crystals that exhibit a Q-factor in excess of ≈20,000. In the light of recent progress in direct-write etching of hBN [25], our results are promising for realization of high Q

• achieve low index substrates. We note that the overall Q-factor is lower than in typical semiconductor 2D photonic crystals due to the relatively low refractive index of hBN. Next we investigate one dimensional nanobeam photonic crystal structures. 1D PCCs are advantageous in that they can easily have

Impact of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on purification and contamination of nematic liquid crystals

• Dmitrii Pavlovich Shcherbinin and
• Elena A. Konshina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2766–2770, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.275

• rapidly growing. The application of LCs includes metamaterials [4], photonic crystals [5], plasmonic structures [6], THz devices [7], sensors [8], diffractive optics [9], adaptive lens technologies [10] and vision correction [11], as well as tunable filters [12] and dispersion for imaging [13]. In

Physics, chemistry and biology of functional nanostructures III

• Anatolie S. Sidorenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 590–591, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.63

• tuberculosis bacilli [1], new applications of graphene-based nanostructures [2][3][4], smart nanoparticles with antitumor activity [5], photonic crystals and flexible membranes [6][7] for visualization devices and remote-readout strain gauges. A lot of other unusual applications of functional nanostructures

Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles on a Si substrate

• Urmas Joost,
• Andris Šutka,
• Meeri Visnapuu,
• Aile Tamm,
• Meeri Lembinen,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Kathriin Utt,
• Krisjanis Smits,
• Ergo Nõmmiste and
• Vambola Kisand

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 229–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.25

• uniform size and spacing. It is possible to change or modulate this structural color by changing the interparticle distance by means of a physical or chemical external stimulus. Well-known examples of these materials are opals and inverse opals: three-dimensional photonic crystals where the colors are

• . Because of this, it is necessary to improve the fabrication processes of photonic crystals further. Another possibility is the development of completely different color-responsive materials utilising simpler structures or detection principles. Here, we demonstrate an alternative spin-coated thin film of

Flexible photonic crystal membranes with nanoparticle high refractive index layers

• Torben Karrock,
• Moritz Paulsen and
• Martina Gerken

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 203–209, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.22

• layers as a limitation for the performance of flexible photonic crystals and demonstrated a nanoparticulate high-index layer [15]. Our previous study [12] showed first promising results in the use of flexible photonic crystals. Therefore, we conducted an in-depth study of flexible photonic crystal

• membranes with varying nanoparticle concentrations and different grating properties. Here, we present detailed results of the fabrication and optical properties of these flexible photonic crystals membranes with nanoparticulate high-index layers that allow for strain values of up to 20%. We fabricate these

• resonance both with nanoparticle layer thickness and with strain. Due to the large possible deformations and color changes such photonic crystals membranes are highly promising for tunable devices as well as for visualization devices. Results and Discussion We observe resonances in the transmission spectrum

Electric field induced structural colour tuning of a silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle one-dimensional photonic crystal

• Eduardo Aluicio-Sarduy,
• Simone Callegari,
• Diana Gisell Figueroa del Valle,
• Andrea Desii,
• Ilka Kriegel and
• Francesco Scotognella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1404–1410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.131

• di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie CNR, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano 10.3762/bjnano.7.131 Abstract An electric field is employed for the active tuning of the structural colour in photonic crystals, which acts as an effective external stimulus with an impact on light transmission manipulation

• (i.e. decrease of the effective refractive index). These results are the first demonstration of active colour tuning in silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle-based photonic crystals and open the route to metal/dielectric-based photonic crystals as electro-optic switches. Keywords: electro-optic

• switching; photonic crystal; plasmonic nanoparticles; Introduction Structural colour is colour due to the Bragg reflection (in photonic structures for example) as opposed to colour from pigments or colour centres [1]. The active tuning of the structural colour in photonic crystals is a subject that has

In situ SU-8 silver nanocomposites

• Søren V. Fischer,
• Basil Uthuppu and
• Mogens H. Jakobsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1661–1665, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.168

• and sensing devices. Metal nanoparticles in photoresists are also interesting within technologies for three-dimensional structuring as these can be used for fabrication of photonic crystals [7]. A good candidate for a polymeric matrix is the epoxy-based photoresist SU-8, which is widely used for

Tunable light filtering by a Bragg mirror/heavily doped semiconducting nanocrystal composite

• Ilka Kriegel and
• Francesco Scotognella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 193–200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.18

• , the use of tunable filters would be a great advantage. A very efficient class of filters are Bragg mirrors, also called one-dimensional photonic crystals [4][5][6]. Bragg mirrors can be made of dense materials [7], but also with mesoporous materials or nanoparticles [8][9][10]. Their use has been

• exploited in several types of devices, such as distributed feedback lasers [11][12][13][14][15], sensors [16][17], absorption enhancement for photovoltaics [18] or in dye-sensitized solar cells [19][20][21]. Furthermore, nanoparticle-based photonic crystals have been employed for switching applications [22

• modulation of the transmittance of solar energy [34][35][36][37]. In this study, we propose a tunable filter based on photonic crystals (Bragg mirrors) coupled to heavily doped semiconductor NCs with plasmonic absorption properties. We report the modelling of a Bragg mirror coupled to a dispersion of

Encapsulation of nanoparticles into single-crystal ZnO nanorods and microrods

• Jinzhang Liu,
• Marco Notarianni,
• Llew Rintoul and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 485–493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.56

• used as laser gain media as well as for quantum communications when confined within an optical cavity. The coupling of luminescent nanoparticles emission to artificial optical cavities such as 2D photonic crystals [16] and micro-spheres [17] has been studied. Single crystal nanorods as dielectric

Challenges in realizing ultraflat materials surfaces

• Takashi Yatsui,
• Wataru Nomura,
• Fabrice Stehlin,
• Olivier Soppera,
• Makoto Naruse and
• Motoichi Ohtsu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 875–885, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.99

• principles and concepts of DPP technology differ significantly from those of conventional wave-optical technologies such as photonic crystals [29], plasmonics [30], metamaterials [31], or quantum-dot photonic devices [32], in which the size and function are governed by the light diffraction limit. Therefore