Flexible Soft-Printed Polymer Films with Tunable Plasmonic Properties

Abstract

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) and particularly gold (Au) have become emerging materials in recent decades due to their exceptional optical properties, such as localized surface plasmons. Although multiple and relatively simple protocols have been developed for AuNP synthesis, the functionalization of solid surfaces composed of soft matter with AuNPs often requires complex and multistep processes. Here we developed a facile approach for functionalizing soft adhesive flexible films with plasmonic AuNPs. The synthetic route is based on preparing Au nanoislands (AuNI) (ca. 2−300 nm) on a glass substrate followed by hydrophobization of the functionalized surface, which in turn, allows efficient transfer of AuNIs to flexible adhesive films via softprinting tape lithography. Here we show that the AuNI structure remained intact after the hydrophobization and soft-printing procedures. The AuNI-functionalized flexible films were characterized by various techniques, revealing unique characteristics such as tunable localized plasmon resonance and Raman enhancement factors beneficial for chemical and biological sensing applications.

Innovations in Bioengineering Virtual Special Issue

“…The webinar featured talks from Prof. Molly Stevens and Prof. Ali Khademhosseini and is available on demand ( go.acs.org/OV ). As highlighted in Figure , this new virtual special issue includes papers on antimicrobials, gene and therapeutic delivery, − model systems and organs on a chip, − biomineralization and biopolymer synthesis, , regenerative medicine and scaffolds for tissue engineering, − and sensors. , Our authors come from around the worldAustralia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Statesand include leaders in the field alongside quite a number of rising stars. We were delighted with the insights revealed in this collection of papers.…”