Search results for "film."

Mechanisms of Spontaneous and Amplified Spontaneous Emission in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Thin Films Integrated in an Optical Waveguide

2020

In this paper, the physical mechanisms responsible for optical gain in ${\mathrm{CH}}_{3}{\mathrm{NH}}_{3}{\mathrm{Pb}\mathrm{I}}_{3}$ (MAPI) polycrystalline thin films are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Waveguide structures composed by a MAPI film embedded in between PMMA and silica layers are used as an efficient geometry to confine emitted light in MAPI films and minimize the energy threshold for amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). We show that photogenerated exciton density at the ASE threshold is as low as $(2.4\ensuremath{-}12)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{16}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, which is below the Mott transition den…

Temperature dependence of Photoluminescence and Amplified Spontaneous Emission in thin films of quasi-2D BA3MA3Pb5Br16 perovskites

2021

Single-Exciton Amplified Spontaneous Emission in Thin Films of CsPbX3 (X = Br, I) Perovskite Nanocrystals

2019

CsPbX3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have emerged as an excellent material for stimulated emission purposes, with even more prospective applications than conventional colloidal quantum dots. However, a better understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is required to achieve more ambitious targets (lasing under continuous wave optical or electrical excitation). Here, we establish the intrinsic mechanisms underlying ASE in PNCs of three different band gaps (CsPbBr3, CsPbBr1.5I1.5, and CsPbI3). Our characterization at cryogenic temperatures does not reveal any evidence of the biexciton mechanism in the formation of ASE. Instead, the measured …

Amplified Spontaneous Emission in Thin Films of CsPbX3 Perovskite Nanocrystals

2019

During the last years, Metal Halide Perovskites (MHPs) have attracted special attention as an efficient conversion films for photovoltaics, or excellent gain media to construct optical sources. In spite of the fact that most of the works have been focussed on CH 3 NH 3 PbX 3 (X=Cl, Br, I) polycrystalline thin films, MHP can be also synthesized as colloidal nanocrystals. In particular, caesium lead halide perovskite CsPbX 3 nanocrystals (NCs) revealed extraordinary properties for optoelectronics. With a high quantum yield of emission (>90%) at room temperature and linewidths less than 100 meV, CsPbX 3 NCs have demonstrated favourable characteristics for active photonics. Indeed, thin films o…

Amplified spontaneous emission in thin films of quasi-2D BA3MA3Pb5Br16 lead halide perovskites

2021

Quasi-2D (two-dimensional) hybrid perovskites are emerging as a new class of materials with high photoluminescence yield and improved stability compared to their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts. Nevertheless, despite their outstanding emission properties, few studies have been reported on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and a thorough understanding of the photophysics of these layered materials is still lacking. In this work, we investigate the ASE properties of multilayered quasi-2D BA3MA3Pb5Br16 films through the dependence of the photoluminescence on temperature and provide a novel insight into the emission processes of quasi-2D lead bromide perovskites. We demonstrate that the …

Amyloid Fibrils Formation of Concanavalin A at Basic pH

2011

Mechanisms of partial unfolding and aggregation of proteins are of extreme interest in view of the fact that several human pathologies are characterized by the formation and deposition of protein-insoluble material, mainly composed of amyloid fibrils. Here we report on an experimental study on the heat-induced aggregation mechanisms, at basic pH, of concanavalin A (ConA), used as a model system. Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence and multiangle light scattering allowed us to detect different intertwined steps in the formation of ConA aggregates. In particular, the ThT fluorescence increase, observed in the first phase of aggregation, reveals the formation of intermolecular β-sheet structure wh…

Thermodynamic versus Conformational Metastability in Fibril-Forming Lysozyme Solutions

2012

The role of intermolecular interaction in fibril-forming protein solutions and its relation with molecular conformation is a crucial aspect for the control and inhibition of amyloid structures. Here, we study the fibril formation and the protein-protein interactions of lysozyme at acidic pH and low ionic strength. The amyloid formation occurs after a long lag time and is preceded by the formation of oligomers, which seems to be off-pathway with respect to fibrillation. By measuring the osmotic isothermal compressibility and the collective diffusion coefficient of lysozyme in solution, we observe that the monomeric solution is kept in a thermodynamically metastable state by strong electrosta…

Thioflavin T Hydroxylation at Basic pH and Its Effect on Amyloid Fibril Detection

2008

The fluorescent dye thioflavin T (ThT) is commonly used for in situ amyloid fibril detection. In this work, we focused on the spectroscopic properties and chemical stability of ThT in aqueous solution as a function of pH, temperature, and dye concentration. A reversible hydroxylation process occurs in alkaline solutions, which was characterized using a combination of UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, proton NMR, and density functional theory (DFT). On the basis of these studies, we propose a chemical structure for the hydroxylated form. Finally, by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, ThT hydroxylation effects on in situ amyloid detection have been investigated, providing new insights on the e…

Negative staining across holes: application to fibril and tubular structures.

2007

The negative staining technique, when used with holey carbon support films, presents superior imaging conditions than is the case when samples are adsorbed to continuous carbon films. A demonstration of this negative staining approach is presented, using ammonium molybdate in combination with trehalose, applied to several fibrillar and tubular samples. Fibrils formed from the amyloid-beta peptide and the protease inhibitor pepstain A spread very well unsupported across holes and the different polymorphic fibril forms can be readily assessed. However, tubular forms of amyloid-beta have a tendency to be flattened, due to surface tension forces prior to and during specimen drying. Sub-fibril a…

The Boson Peak of Amyloid Fibrils: Probing the Softness of Protein Aggregates by Inelastic Neutron Scattering

2014

Proteins and polypeptides are characterized by low-frequency vibrations in the terahertz regime responsible for the so-called "boson peak". The shape and position of this peak are related to the mechanical properties of peptide chains. Amyloid fibrils are ordered macromolecular assemblies, spontaneously formed in nature, characterized by unique biological and nanomechanical properties. In this work, we investigate the effects of the amyloid state and its polymorphism on the boson peak. We used inelastic neutron scattering to probe low-frequency vibrations of the glucagon polypeptide in the native state and in two different amyloid morphologies in both dry and hydrated sample states. The dat…