Breakdown of Far-Field Raman Selection Rules by Light-Plasmon Coupling Demonstrated by Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

We present an experimental study on the near-field light-matter interaction by tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) with polarized light in three different materials: germanium-doped gallium nitride (GaN), graphene, and carbon nanotubes. We investigate the dependence of the TERS signal on the incoming light polarization and on the sample carrier concentration, as well as the Raman selection rules in the near-field. We explain the experimental data with a tentative quantum mechanical interpretation, which takes into account the role of plasmon polaritons, and the associated evanescent field. The driving force for the breakdown of the classical Raman selection rules in TERS is caused by photon tunneling through the perturbation of the evanescent field, with the consequent polariton annihilation. Predictions based on this quantum mechanical approach are in good agreement with the experimental data, which are shown to be independent of incoming light polarization, leading to new Raman selection rules for TERS.

Spatial control of the energy metabolism of yeast cells through electrolytic generation of oxygen.

The metabolic dynamics of yeast cells is controlled by electric pulses delivered through a spatially extended yeast cell/Au electrode interface. Concomitant with voltage pulses, oxygen is generated electrolytically at the electrode surface and delivered to the cells. The generation of oxygen was investigated in dependence of the applied voltage, width of the voltage pulses and temperature of the electrolytic solution. The local oxygen pulses at the electrodes lead to a transient activation of the aerobic energy metabolism of the yeast cells causing a perturbation in their energy balance. The effect of these local perturbations on the temporal dynamics of glycolysis in yeast cells is quantified in dependence of the energy state of cells.

Fabrication, self-assembly, and properties of ultrathin AlN/GaN porous crystalline nanomembranes: tubes, spirals, and curved sheets.

Ultrathin AlN/GaN crystalline porous freestanding nanomembranes are fabricated on Si(111) by selective silicon etching, and self-assembled into various geometries such as tubes, spirals, and curved sheets. Nanopores with sizes from several to tens of nanometers are produced in nanomembranes of 20-35 nm nominal thickness, caused by the island growth of AlN on Si(111). No crystal-orientation dependence is observed while releasing the AlN/GaN nanomembranes from the Si substrate indicating that the driving stress mainly originates from the zipping effect among islands during growth. Competition between different relaxation mechanisms is experimentally revealed for different nanomembrane geometries and well-described by numerical calculations. The cathodoluminescence emission from GaN nanomembranes reveals a weak peak close to the GaN bandgap, which is dramatically enhanced by electron irradiation.

Template-assisted large-scale ordered arrays of ZnO pillars for optical and piezoelectric applications.

Spatially separated ZnO pillars, typically 300 nm in diameter and 2 microm in height, are fabricated via a template-directed approach that leads to long-range hexagonal order. The templates of Au nanodisk arrays are obtained by using metal membranes as a lithography mask. The growth of ZnO pillars is performed in a double-tube system through vapor diffusion-deposition. The growth mechanism of the pillars is studied in detail and is proposed to be a combination of vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid models. The piezoelectric and optical properties of single pillars are characterized using piezoresponse force microscopy and micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively. The pillars show strong excitonic emissions up to room temperature, which indicate a relatively low defect density and good crystalline quality. The obtained piezoelectric coefficient d(33) is (7.5+/-0.6) pm V(-1), which is to our knowledge the first reported value for a single nanopillar.