Metrological Investigation of the (6,5) Carbon Nanotube Absorption Cross Section

Probing the ultrafast dynamics of excitons in single semiconducting carbon nanotubes

Excitonic states govern the optical spectra of low-dimensional semiconductor nanomaterials and their dynamics are key for a wide range of applications, such as in solar energy harvesting and lighting. Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes emerged as particularly rich model systems for one-dimensional nanomaterials and as such have been investigated intensively in the past. The exciton decay dynamics in nanotubes has been studied mainly by transient absorption and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Since different transitions are monitored with these two techniques, developing a comprehensive model to reconcile different data sets, however, turned out to be a challenge and remarkably, a uniform description seems to remain elusive. In this work, we investigate the exciton decay dynamics in single carbon nanotubes using transient interferometric scattering and time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy with few-exciton detection sensitivity and formulate a unified microscopic model by combining unimolecular exciton decay and ultrafast exciton-exciton annihilation on a time-scale down to 200 fs.

Excitonic states govern the optical response of low-dimensional nanomaterials and are key for a wide range of applications. Here, the authors investigate the exciton decay dynamics in single carbon nanotubes with few-exciton detection sensitivity.

Near-Infrared Carbon Nanotube Tracking Reveals the Nanoscale Extracellular Space around Synapses

We provide evidence of a local synaptic nanoenvironment in the brain extracellular space (ECS) lying within 500 nm of postsynaptic densities. To reveal this brain compartment, we developed a correlative imaging approach dedicated to thick brain tissue based on single-particle tracking of individual fluorescent single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in living samples and on speckle-based HiLo microscopy of synaptic labels. We show that the extracellular space around synapses bears specific properties in terms of morphology at the nanoscale and inner diffusivity. We finally show that the ECS juxta-synaptic region changes its diffusion parameters in response to neuronal activity, indicating that this nanoenvironment might play a role in the regulation of brain activity.

Chirality Pure Carbon Nanotubes: Growth, Sorting, and Characterization

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been attracting tremendous attention owing to their structure (chirality) dependent outstanding properties, which endow them with great potential in a wide range of applications. The preparation of chirality-pure SWCNTs is not only a great scientific challenge but also a crucial requirement for many high-end applications. As such, research activities in this area over the last two decades have been very extensive. In this review, we summarize recent achievements and accumulated knowledge thus far and discuss future developments and remaining challenges from three aspects: controlled growth, postsynthesis sorting, and characterization techniques. In the growth part, we focus on the mechanism of chirality-controlled growth and catalyst design. In the sorting part, we organize and analyze existing literature based on sorting targets rather than methods. Since chirality assignment and quantification is essential in the study of selective preparation, we also include in the last part a comprehensive description and discussion of characterization techniques for SWCNTs. It is our view that even though progress made in this area is impressive, more efforts are still needed to develop both methodologies for preparing ultrapure (e.g., >99.99%) SWCNTs in large quantity and nondestructive fast characterization techniques with high spatial resolution for various nanotube samples.

Superlocalization of Excitons in Carbon Nanotubes at Cryogenic Temperature

At cryogenic temperature and at the single emitter level, the optical properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes depart drastically from that of a one-dimensional (1D) object. In fact, the (usually unintentional) localization of excitons in local potential wells leads to nearly 0D behaviors such as photon antibunching, spectral diffusion, inhomogeneous broadening, etc. Here, we present a hyperspectral imaging of this spontaneous exciton localization effect at the single nanotube level using a super-resolved optical microscopy approach. We report on the statistical distribution of the trap localization, depth, and width. We use a quasi-resonant photoluminescence excitation approach to probe the confined quantum states. Numerical simulations of the quantum states and exciton diffusion show that the excitonic states are deeply modified by the interface disorder inducing a remarkable discretization of the excitonic absorption spectrum and a quenching of the free 1D exciton absorption.

Photoswitchable single-walled carbon nanotubes for super-resolution microscopy in the near-infrared

The design of single-molecule photoswitchable emitters was the first milestone toward the advent of single-molecule localization microscopy, setting a new paradigm in the field of optical imaging. Several photoswitchable emitters have been developed, but they all fluoresce in the visible or far-red ranges, missing the desirable near-infrared window where biological tissues are most transparent. Moreover, photocontrol of individual emitters in the near-infrared would be highly desirable for elementary optical molecular switches or information storage elements since most communication data transfer protocols are established in this spectral range. Here, we introduce a type of hybrid nanomaterials consisting of single-wall carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized with photoswitching molecules that are used to control the intrinsic luminescence of the single nanotubes in the near-infrared (beyond 1 μm). Through the control of photoswitching, we demonstrate super-localization imaging of nanotubes unresolved by diffraction-limited microscopy.

Single-step isolation of carbon nanotubes with narrow-band light emission characteristics

Lack of necessary degree of control over carbon nanotube (CNT) structure has remained a major impediment factor for making significant advances using this material since it was discovered. Recently, a wide range of promising sorting methods emerged as an antidote to this problem, all of which unfortunately have a multistep nature. Here we report that desired type of CNTs can be targeted and isolated in a single step using modified aqueous two-phase extraction. We achieve this by introducing hydration modulating agents, which are able to tune the arrangement of surfactants on their surface, and hence make selected CNTs highly hydrophobic or hydrophilic. This allows for separation of minor chiral species from the CNT mixture with up to 99.7 ± 0.02% selectivity without the need to carry out any unnecessary iterations. Interestingly, our strategy is also able to enrich the optical emission from CNTs under selected conditions.

Ultrafast measurements of the dynamics of single nanostructures: a review

The ability to study single particles has revolutionized nanoscience. The advantage of single particle spectroscopy measurements compared to conventional ensemble studies is that they remove averaging effects from the different sizes and shapes that are present in the samples. In time-resolved experiments this is important for unraveling homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening effects in lifetime measurements. In this report, recent progress in the development of ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopic techniques for interrogating single nanostructures will be discussed. The techniques include far-field experiments that utilize high numerical aperture (NA) microscope objectives, near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) measurements, ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM), and time-resolved x-ray diffraction experiments. Examples will be given of the application of these techniques to studying energy relaxation processes in nanoparticles, and the motion of plasmons, excitons and/or charge carriers in different types of nanostructures.

Ultrashort Carbon Nanotubes That Fluoresce Brightly in the Near-Infrared

The intrinsic near-infrared photoluminescence observed in long single-walled carbon nanotubes is known to be quenched in ultrashort nanotubes due to their tiny size as compared to the exciton diffusion length in these materials (>100 nm). Here, we show that intense photoluminescence can be created in ultrashort nanotubes (∼40 nm length) upon incorporation of exciton-trapping sp³ defect sites. Using super-resolution photoluminescence imaging at <25 nm resolution, we directly show the preferential localization of excitons at the nanotube ends, which separate by less than 40 nm and behave as independent emitters. This unexpected observation opens the possibility to synthesize fluorescent ultrashort nanotubes-a goal that has been long thought impossible-for bioimaging applications, where bright near-infrared photoluminescence and small size are highly desirable, and for quantum information science, where high quality and well-controlled near-infrared single photon emitters are needed.

Single-nanotube tracking reveals the nanoscale organization of the extracellular space in the live brain

The brain is a dynamic structure with the extracellular space (ECS) taking up almost a quarter of its volume. Signalling molecules, neurotransmitters and nutrients transit via the ECS, which constitutes a key microenvironment for cellular communication and the clearance of toxic metabolites. The spatial organization of the ECS varies during sleep, development and aging and is probably altered in neuropsychiatric and degenerative diseases, as inferred from electron microscopy and macroscopic biophysical investigations. Here we show an approach to directly observe the local ECS structures and rheology in brain tissue using super-resolution imaging. We inject single-walled carbon nanotubes into rat cerebroventricles and follow the near-infrared emission of individual nanotubes as they diffuse inside the ECS for tens of minutes in acute slices. Because of the interplay between the nanotube geometry and the ECS local environment, we can extract information about the dimensions and local viscosity of the ECS. We find a striking diversity of ECS dimensions down to 40 nm, and as well as of local viscosity values. Moreover, by chemically altering the extracellular matrix of the brains of live animals before nanotube injection, we reveal that the rheological properties of the ECS are affected, but these alterations are local and inhomogeneous at the nanoscale.

Single Nanotube Spectral Imaging To Determine Molar Concentrations of Isolated Carbon Nanotube Species

Electronic and biological applications of carbon nanotubes can be highly dependent on the species (chirality) of nanotube, purity, and concentration. Existing bulk methods, such as absorbance spectroscopy, can quantify sp2 carbon based on spectral bands, but nanotube length distribution, defects, and carbonaceous impurities can complicate quantification of individual particles. We present a general method to relate the optical density of a photoluminescent nanotube sample to the number of individual nanotubes. By acquiring 3-dimensional images of nanotubes embedded in a gel matrix with a reducing environment, we quantified all emissive nanotubes in a volume. Via spectral imaging, we assessed structural impurities and precisely determined molar concentrations of the (8,6) and (9,4) nanotube species. We developed an approach to obtain the molarity of any structurally enriched semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube preparation on a per-nanotube basis.

(n,m)-Specific Absorption Cross Sections of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Measured by Variance Spectroscopy

A new method based on variance spectroscopy has enabled the determination of absolute absorption cross sections for the first electronic transition of 12 (n,m) structural species of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Spectrally resolved measurements of fluorescence variance in dilute bulk samples provided particle number concentrations of specific SWCNT species. These values were converted to carbon concentrations and correlated with resonant components in the absorbance spectrum to deduce (n,m)-specific absorption cross sections (absorptivities) for nanotubes ranging in diameter from 0.69 to 1.03 nm. The measured cross sections per atom tend to vary inversely with nanotube diameter and are slightly greater for structures of mod 1 type than for mod 2. Directly measured and extrapolated values are now available to support quantitative analysis of SWCNT samples through absorption spectroscopy.

Cavity-enhanced Raman microscopy of individual carbon nanotubes

Raman spectroscopy reveals chemically specific information and provides label-free insight into the molecular world. However, the signals are intrinsically weak and call for enhancement techniques. Here, we demonstrate Purcell enhancement of Raman scattering in a tunable high-finesse microcavity, and utilize it for molecular diagnostics by combined Raman and absorption imaging. Studying individual single-wall carbon nanotubes, we identify crucial structural parameters such as nanotube radius, electronic structure and extinction cross-section. We observe a 320-times enhanced Raman scattering spectral density and an effective Purcell factor of 6.2, together with a collection efficiency of 60%. Potential for significantly higher enhancement, quantitative signals, inherent spectral filtering and absence of intrinsic background in cavity-vacuum stimulated Raman scattering render the technique a promising tool for molecular imaging. Furthermore, cavity-enhanced Raman transitions involving localized excitons could potentially be used for gaining quantum control over nanomechanical motion and open a route for molecular cavity optomechanics.

13 nm Exciton Size in (6,5) Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Electron-hole correlation lengths, also termed exciton size, for (6,5) single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are determined using femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. The phase space filling model is used to obtain the sizes of the first subband exciton in samples of isolated and of bundled SWNTs. The experiments indicate that the exciton size of (13 ± 3) nm is a factor of 6 higher than previous experimental estimates and theoretical predictions for vacuum suspended SWNTs. This surprising result may be attributed at least in part to the effect of the dielectric environment on exciton sizes and supports recent theoretical findings predicting that screening in SWNTs may enhance rather than reduce electron-hole interactions for separations larger than the tube diameter. Thereby, the work also points to the unique nature of screening and electronic correlations in one-dimensional semiconductors.

Ubiquity of Exciton Localization in Cryogenic Carbon Nanotubes

We present photoluminescence studies of individual semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes at room and cryogenic temperatures. From the analysis of spatial and spectral features of nanotube photoluminescence, we identify characteristic signatures of unintentional exciton localization. Moreover, we quantify the energy scale of exciton localization potentials as ranging from a few to a few tens of millielectronvolts and stemming from both environmental disorder and shallow covalent side-wall defects. Our results establish disorder-induced crossover from the diffusive to the localized regime of nanotube excitons at cryogenic temperatures as a ubiquitous phenomenon in micelle-encapsulated and as-grown carbon nanotubes.

Diameter-selective non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes with porphyrin monomers

We report on the spontaneous non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes with hydrophobic porphyrin molecules in micellar aqueous solution. By monitoring the species concentrations with optical spectroscopies, we can follow the kinetics of the reaction and study its thermodynamical equilibrium as a function of the reagent concentrations. We show that the reaction is well accounted for by a cooperative Hill equation, reaching a molecular coverage close to a compact monolayer for a porphyrin concentration larger than a diameter-specific threshold concentration. The equilibrium constant is measured for 16 nanotube chiral species. The Gibbs energy of the reaction (of the order of -40 kJ mol(-1)) and its evolution with the nanotube diameter is consistent with theoretical calculations of the binding energy. This thermodynamical study shows a strong preferential binding of TPP molecules to larger diameter nanotubes. This original curvature selectivity can be used to induce diameter selective species enrichment.

Optical detection of individual ultra-short carbon nanotubes enables their length characterization down to 10 nm

Ultrashort single-walled carbon nanotubes, i.e. with length below ~30 nm, display length-dependent physical, chemical and biological properties that are attractive for the development of novel nanodevices and nanomaterials. Whether fundamental or applicative, such developments require that ultrashort nanotube lengths can be routinely and reliably characterized with high statistical data for high-quality sample production. However, no methods currently fulfill these requirements. Here, we demonstrate that photothermal microscopy achieves fast and reliable optical single nanotube analysis down to ~10 nm lengths. Compared to atomic force microscopy, this method provides ultrashort nanotubes length distribution with high statistics, and neither requires specific sample preparation nor tip-dependent image analysis.

Imaging nano-objects by linear and nonlinear optical absorption microscopies

Absorption based microscopy measurements are emerging as important tools for studying nanomaterials. This review discusses the three most common techniques for performing these experiments: transient absorption microscopy, photothermal heterodyne imaging, and spatial modulation spectroscopy. The focus is on the application of these techniques to imaging and detection, using examples taken from the authors' laboratory. The advantages and disadvantages of the three methods are discussed, with an emphasis on the unique information that can be obtained from these experiments, in comparison to conventional emission or scattering based microscopy experiments.

Influences of Exciton Diffusion and Exciton-Exciton Annihilation on Photon Emission Statistics of Carbon Nanotubes

Pump-dependent photoluminescence imaging and second-order photon correlation studies have been performed on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at room temperature. These studies enable the extraction of both the exciton diffusion constant and the Auger recombination coefficient. A linear correlation between these parameters is attributed to the effect of environmental disorder in setting the exciton mean free path and capture-limited Auger recombination at this length scale. A suppression of photon antibunching is attributed to the creation of multiple spatially nonoverlapping excitons in SWCNTs, whose diffusion length is shorter than the laser spot size. We conclude that complete antibunching at room temperature requires an enhancement of the exciton-exciton annihilation rate that may become realizable in SWCNTs allowing for strong exciton localization.

Nonlinear photoluminescence spectroscopy of carbon nanotubes with localized exciton states

We report distinctive nonlinear behavior of photoluminescence (PL) intensities from localized exciton states embedded in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) at room temperature. We found that PL from the local states exhibits strong nonlinear behavior with increasing continuous-wave excitation power density, whereas free exciton PL shows only weak sublinear behavior. The strong nonlinear behavior was observed regardless of the origin of the local states and found to be nearly independent of the local state density. These results indicate that the strong PL nonlinearity arises from a universal mechanism to SWNTs with sparse local states. The significant nonlinear PL is attributed to rapid ground-state depletion of the local states caused by an efficient accumulation of photogenerated free excitons into the sparse local states through one-dimensional diffusional migration of excitons along the nanotube axis; this mechanism is verified by Monte Carlo simulations of exciton diffusion dynamics.

Imaging and Analysis of Single Optically Trapped Gold Nanoparticles Using Spatial Modulation Spectroscopy

The extinction cross sections and spectra of single nanoparticles can be directly measured by moving the particle in and out of a tightly focused laser beam. This technique, known as spatial modulation spectroscopy, yields detailed information about the size, shape, and environment of the particles. These experiments are typically done on particles immobilized on a substrate. Here we demonstrate for the first time the use of spatial modulation spectroscopy to interrogate single, optically trapped nanoparticles in solution. Gold nanoparticles as small as 15 nm were trapped and imaged. The experiments were performed by modulating the position of the probe laser beam while scanning it over the trapped particle with a galvo-scanning mirror system. This technique opens up the possibility of precisely measuring the optical properties of single nanoparticles in liquid environments, free from the influence of a surface.

Photothermal Microscopy of Nonluminescent Single Particles Enabled by Optical Microresonators

A powerful new paradigm for single-particle microscopy on nonluminescent targets is reported using ultrahigh-quality factor optical microresonators as the critical detecting element. The approach is photothermal in nature as the microresonators are used to detect heat dissipated from individual photoexcited nano-objects. The method potentially satisfies an outstanding need for single-particle microscopy on nonluminescent objects of increasingly smaller absorption cross section. Simultaneously, our approach couples the sensitivity of label-free detection using optical microresonators with a means of deriving chemical information on the target species, a significant benefit. As a demonstration, individual nonphotoluminescent multiwalled carbon nanotubes are spatially mapped, and the per-atom absorption cross section is determined. Finite-element simulations are employed to model the relevant thermal processes and elucidate the sensing mechanism. Finally, a direct pathway to the extension of this new technique to molecules is laid out, leading to a potent new method of performing measurements on individual molecules.

Spontaneous exciton dissociation in carbon nanotubes

Simultaneous photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal spontaneous dissociation of excitons into free electron-hole pairs. The correlation of luminescence intensity and photocurrent shows that a significant fraction of excitons are dissociating before recombination. Furthermore, the combination of optical and electrical signals also allows for extraction of the absorption cross section and the oscillator strength. Our observations explain the reasons why photoconductivity measurements in single-walled carbon nanotubes are straightforward despite the large exciton binding energies.

Directly measured optical absorption cross sections for structure-selected single-walled carbon nanotubes

We have measured peak and spectrally integrated absolute absorption cross sections for the first (E11) and second (E22) optical transitions of seven semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) species in bulk suspensions. Species-specific concentrations were determined using short-wave IR fluorescence microscopy to directly count SWCNTs in a known sample volume. Measured cross sections per atom are inversely related to nanotube diameter. E11 cross sections are larger for mod 1 species than for mod 2; the opposite is found for E22.

Detection of single gold nanoparticles using spatial modulation spectroscopy implemented with a galvo-scanning mirror system

The optical extinction of single nanoparticles can be sensitively detected by spatial modulation spectroscopy (SMS), where the particle is moved in and out of a tightly focused laser beam with a piezo-device. Here we show that high sensitivity can be obtained by modulating the beam with a galvo-mirror system, rather than by moving the sample. This work demonstrates an inexpensive method for making a SMS microscope, and shows how an existing laser scanning microscope can be adapted for SMS measurements. The galvo-mirror technique also allows SMS measurements to be performed in a liquid, which is difficult to do with piezo-modulation.

Supercontinuum spatial modulation spectroscopy: detection and noise limitations

Supercontinuum spatial modulation spectroscopy is a facile tool for conducting single molecule/particle extinction spectroscopy throughout the visible and near infrared (420-1100 nm). The technique's capabilities are benchmarked using individual Au nanoparticles (NPs) as a standard since they are well studied and display a prominent plasmon resonance in the visible. Extinction spectra of individual Au NPs with diameters (d) ranging from d ~ 8 to 40 nm are resolved with extinction cross sections (σ(ext)) of σ(ext) ~ 1 × 10(-13)-1 × 10(-11) cm(2). Corresponding signal-to-noise ratios range from ~30 to ~1400. The technique's limit of detection is determined to be 4.3 × 10(-14) cm(2) (4.3 nm(2)). To showcase supercontinuum spatial modulation spectroscopy's broader applicability, extinction spectra are acquired for other model systems, such as individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and CdSe nanowires. We show for the first time extinction spectra of individual (8,3) and (6,5) SWCNTs. For both chiralities, their E11 [(8,3) 1.30 eV (952 nm); (6,5) 1.26 eV (986 nm)] and E22 [(8,3) 1.86 eV (667 nm); (6,5) 2.19 eV (567 nm)] excitonic resonances are seen with corresponding cross sections of σ(ext) ~ 10(-13) cm(2) μm(-1).

Chirality dependence of the absorption cross section of carbon nanotubes

The variation of the optical absorption of carbon nanotubes with their geometry has been a long-standing question at the heart of both metrological and applicative issues, in particular because optical spectroscopy is one of the primary tools for the assessment of the chiral species abundance of samples. Here, we tackle the chirality dependence of the optical absorption with an original method involving ultraefficient energy transfer in porphyrin-nanotube compounds that allows uniform photoexcitation of all chiral species. We measure the absolute absorption cross section of a wide range of semiconducting nanotubes at their S22 transition and show that it varies by up to a factor of 2.2 with the chiral angle, with type I nanotubes showing a larger absorption. In contrast, the luminescence quantum yield remains almost constant.