Endowing a single material with various types of luminescence, that is, exhibiting a simultaneous optical response to different stimuli, is vital in various fields. A photoluminescence (PL)‐ and mechanoluminescence (ML)‐based multifunctional sensing platform is built by combining heterojunctioned ZnS/CaZnOS:Mn2+ mechano‐photonic materials using a 3D‐printing technique and fiber spinning. ML‐active particles are embedded in micrometer‐sized cellulose fibers for flexible optical devices capable of emitting light driven by mechanical force. Individually modified 3D‐printed hard units that exhibit intense ML in response to mechanical deformation, such as impact and friction, are also fabricated. Importantly, they also allow low‐pressure sensing up to ≈100 bar, a range previously inaccessible by any other optical sensing technique. Moreover, the developed optical manometer based on the PL of the materials demonstrates a superior high‐pressure sensitivity of ≈6.20 nm GPa−1. Using this sensing platform, four modes of temperature detection can be achieved: excitation‐band spectral shifts, emission‐band spectral shifts, bandwidth broadening, and lifetime shortening. This work supports the possibility of mass production of ML‐active mechanical and optoelectronic parts integrated with scientific and industrial tools and apparatus.
30 August 2005 in Journal of Applied Polymer Science
In the present research, nanocomposite antibacterial cellulose fibers of Lyocell type modified with nanosilver particles and nanosilica were obtained. Nanosilver particles were generated by the chemical reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) in 50% water solution of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO), which was applied as a direct cellulose solvent for the production of Lyocell fibers. The main aim of this study has been to obtain antibacterial cellulose fibers modified with silver nanoparticles, which are entirely safe for contact with human tissue. Taking into account the potential medical applications of the obtained fibers, the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles enclosed in fibers were examined in human and mouse cells. Considering the size of the silver nanoparticles with nanosilica in NMMO and their physical properties, the time of generation was the subject of a thorough analysis. The basic physical properties of the nanoparticles introduced in the fibers were tested using the UV/VIS, DLS and TEM methods. The basic properties of the fibers, namely the mechanical and hydrophilic ones, and the average degree of polymerisation of the cellulose fibers were estimated. The conditions of the synthesis of nanoparticles in NMMO with nanosilica were optimised. The results have confirmed that fibers with high-quality antibacterial properties, safe for human tissue and suitable for medical purposes, could be obtained.
15 September 2023 in Advanced Functional Materials
Nonlinear optical materials are essential in areas such as nanophotonics, optical information processing, and biomedical imaging. However, nanomaterials employed for these diverse applications to date are efficient only for one type of nonlinear optical activity. Herein, the first multimodal nonlinear optically active class of nanomaterials based on lanthanide‐doped lithium niobate nanoparticles, which simultaneously exhibit unprecedentedly efficient second and third harmonic generation, as well as up‐conversion photoluminescence, is reported. These dielectric nanoparticles retain their high nonlinear optical conversion efficiency both as powder and as aqueous colloidal solution. The high stability also allows for the fabrication of optically active biocompatible micron‐sized fibers and polymer‐based 3D‐printable objects, as well as for fingerprint detection. Finally, the first 8‐bit coding platform purely based on multimodal nonlinear optical activity originating from different parametric and nonparametric processes is demonstrated, showcasing the technological potential of these materials for both anti‐counterfeiting and advanced optical information processing.