The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au nanoparticles (NPs) was used to monitor photopolymerization at the nanoscale, by in situ monitoring the optical response of AuNPs during the light-induced polymerization process. To show the interest of this approach, two configurations were used which correspond to a resonant and a non-resonant excitation regime between the photopolymer and the AuNPs used as nanoprobes. We show that not only this method enables the progress monitoring of the photopolymerization reaction at the nanometric scale but also can highlight the near-field coupling effect responsible for the acceleration of the photoinduced reaction. This methodology appears very interesting to study the photoinduced nanofabrication processes of metal/polymer hybrid nanoparticles and more globally as a methodology to study the photopolymerization reactions at the nanometric scale.

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A metal-oxide material (indium zinc oxide [IZO]) device with near-infrared (NIR) laser annealing was demonstrated on both glass and bendable plastic substrates (polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate). After only 60 s, the sheet resistance of IZO films annealed with a laser was comparable to that of thermal-annealed devices at temperatures in the range of 200°C-300°C (1 hr). XPS, ATR, and AFM were used to investigate the changes in the sheet resistance and correlate them to the composition and morphology of the thin film. Finally, the NIR laser-annealed IZO films were demonstrated to be capable of detecting changes in humidity and serving as a highly sensitive gas sensor of hydrogen sulfide (in parts-per-billion concentration), with room-temperature operation on a bendable substrate.