Super-resolution Imaging of Plasmonic Near-Fields: Overcoming Emitter Mislocalizations.

Plasmonic nano-objects have shown great potential in enhancing applications like biological/chemical sensing, light harvesting and energy transfer, and optical/quantum computing. Therefore, an extensive effort has been vested in optimizing plasmonic systems and exploiting their field enhancement properties. Super-resolution imaging with quantum dots (QDs) is a promising method to probe plasmonic near-fields but is hindered by the distortion of the QD radiation pattern. Here, we investigate the interaction between QDs and "L-shaped" gold nanoantennas and demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that this strong interaction can induce polarization-dependent modifications to the apparent QD emission intensity, polarization, and localization. Based on FDTD simulations and polarization-modulated single-molecule microscopy, we show that the displacement of the emitter's localization is due to the position-dependent interference between the emitter and the induced dipole, and can be up to 100 nm. Our results help pave a pathway for higher precision plasmonic near-field mapping and its underlying applications.

Substituent effects on the reversibility of furan-maleimide cycloadditions.

The effects of furan and maleimide substitution on the dynamic reversibility of their Diels-Alder reactivity have been investigated computationally and by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Furan and furan derivatives bearing methoxy, methyl, or formyl groups at their 2- or 3-positions were investigated with maleimide and maleimide derivatives bearing N-methyl, N-allyl, and N-phenyl substituents. Computational predictions indicate that electronic and regiochemical effects of furan substitution significantly influence their Diels-Alder reactivity with maleimide, with reaction free energies of exo adduct formation ranging from ΔG = -9.4 to 0.9 kcal/mol and transition state barriers to exo adduct formation ranging from ΔG(‡) = 18.9 to 25.6 kcal/mol. Much less variation was observed for the reactivity of N-substituted maleimide derivatives and furan, with reaction and transition state free energies each falling within a range of 1.1 kcal/mol. Dynamic exchange experiments monitored by (1)H NMR spectroscopy support computational predictions. The results indicate the reactivity and reversibility of furan-maleimide cycloadditions can be tuned significantly through the addition of appropriate substituents and have implications in the use of furan and maleimide derivatives in the construction of thermally responsive organic materials.