Green nanotechnology focuses on the development of new and sustainable methods of creating nanoparticles, their localized assembly and integration into useful systems and devices in a cost-effective, simple and eco-friendly manner. Here we present our experimental findings on the use of the Leidenfrost drop as an overheated and charged green chemical reactor. Employing a droplet of aqueous solution on hot substrates, this method is capable of fabricating nanoparticles, creating nanoscale coatings on complex objects and designing porous metal in suspension and foam form, all in a levitated Leidenfrost drop. As examples of the potential applications of the Leidenfrost drop, fabrication of nanoporous black gold as a plasmonic wideband superabsorber, and synthesis of superhydrophilic and thermal resistive metal–polymer hybrid foams are demonstrated. We believe that the presented nanofabrication method may be a promising strategy towards the sustainable production of functional nanomaterials.

In this study, we devised a novel nanofibrous adsorbent made of polyethersulfone (PES) for removal of methylene blue (MB) dye pollutant from water. The polymer shows a low isoelectric point thus at elevated pHs and, being nanofibrous, can offer a huge highly hydroxylated surface area for adsorption of cationic MB molecules. As an extra challenge, to augment the adsorbent’s properties in terms of adsorption capacity in neutral and acidic conditions and thermal stability, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanoparticles were added to the nanofibers. Adsorption data were analyzed according to the Freundlich adsorption model. The thermodynamic parameters verified that only at basic pH is the adsorption spontaneous and in general the process is entropy-driven and endothermic. The kinetics of the adsorption process was evaluated by the pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order models. The latter model exhibited the highest correlation with data. In sum, the adsorbent showed a promising potential for dye removal from industrial dyeing wastewater systems, especially when envisaging their alkaline and hot conditions.

Plasmonic metamaterials designed for optical frequency have to be shrunk down to few 10th of nanometer which turns their manufacturing cumbersome. Here, we shift the performance of metamaterial down to ultraviolet (UV) by using ultrathin nanocomposite as a tunable plasmonic metamaterial fabricated with tandem co-deposition. It provides the possibility to realize a plasmonic metamaterial absorber for UV frequency with marginal angle sensitivity. Its resonance frequency and intensity can be adjusted by changing thickness and filling factor of the composite. Presented approach for tunable metamaterials for high frequency could pave the way for their application for thermo-photovoltaic, stealth technology, and UV-protective coating.

Here, we introduce the first experimental proof of coherent oscillation and coupling of photoswitchable molecules embedded randomly in a polymeric matrix and acting cooperatively upon illumination with UV light. In particular, we demonstrate the specular reflection and Brewster phenomenon alteration of photochromic molecular dipole antennas. We successfully demonstrate the concept of Brewster wavelength, which is based on the dipolar interaction between radiating dipoles and the surrounding matrix possessing a net dipole moment, as a key tool for highly localized sensing of matrix polarity. We also introduce the concept of 'tailored molecular photonic coupling' while highlighting the role of interferences for the design of optically active media by adjusting the photonic response of the medium with the real and imaginary refractive index of photoswitchable molecules in the 'ON' state. Our results enhance our fundamental understanding of coherent dipole radiation and open a new vein of research based on glassy disordered dipolar composites that act as macroscopic antenna with cooperative action; furthermore, these results have important implications for new design rules of tailored photonics.

Here, we introduce the first smart plasmonic absorber based on metal-polymer bionanocomposites performing via conformational changes of the biological functional agent i.e. a protein. Such a progress was done through bridging the gaps between nanofluid filtration, plasmonics and bioswitching. Initially, a biofunctionalized nanofibrous membrane was developed that could filter out metal nanoparticles (<100 nm) from an aqueous stream with a high separation efficiency (97%). This approach brings about a breakthrough in applicability of the macroporous nanofibrous membranes for rejection of suspended nanosolids and extends the application area beyond Microfiltration (MF) to Ultrafiltration (UF). This operative filtration in next step leads to a novel synthesis route for plasmonic materials as formation of a smart freestanding metal-polymer bionanocomposite able to act as an omnidirectional black absorber. M. Elbahri thanks the initiative and networking fund of the Helmholtz Associations for providing the financial base of the start-up of his research group. The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Dr. Gorb for Cryo-SEM imaging of the samples, Stefan Rehders for drawing the 3-D sketch of the membranes, Kristian Bühr for design of water flux measurement setup , Heinrich Böttcher for tensile tests, and Karen-Marita Prause for SEM measurements.

Plasmonics, as an emerging field, aims to exploit the unique optical properties of metallic nanostructures to enable routing and active manipulation of light on the nanoscale. Plasmonic heating is a phenomenon, which is recently recognized for its potential in photothermal therapy. Here we show the first proof-of-concept experiment based on plasmonic heating for selective and precise embedding of nanoparticles in a polymeric matrix. We demonstrate a unique way for in situ fabrication of nanocomposites in different forms including patterning, writing, and defect healing in a controlled manner along with crystallinity control through light irradiation.

An optically driven metamaterial with a photoswitchable weak and strong molecular‐plasmonic coupling is demonstrated. In this active perfect absorber, the absorption band can be broadened more than 150 nm (split with an energy difference of 780 meV) by UV irradiation, which demonstrates a new class of optically tunable metamaterial absorber for visible frequencies.

A photoswitchable, transparent, and highly conducting device that functions via nanophotonic interaction of a metal film coated with spirophenanthrooxazine (SPO) molecules embedded in a polymeric matrix and fabricated through spin coating is demonstrated. The device possesses additional novel functionality as a photobleaching gas sensor.