Filters

Settings

Now showing1 - 5 of 5
  • Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Project, Access status: without files ,
    Emmy Noether: Molecular spectroscopies with spectrally selective metasurfaces
    Optical spectroscopy approaches in the mid-infrared provide unique information about complex biological systems by detecting the characteristic absorption bands associated with the constituent molecules. Previously, resonant metallic antennas were utilized to focus mid-IR light into nanometer-sized volumes, enabling the study of thin membrane systems and low amounts of molecules. However, the performance of such metal-based systems is severely limited by Ohmic losses and the static nature of antenna materials, especially when investigating the interactions of multiple biological components. In the proposed project, I will develop novel all-dielectric metasurface concepts for surface-enhanced absorption spectroscopy and utilize them to resolve the dynamics of complex biological processes such as those associated with cellular communication. Specifically, I will design metasurfaces with high resonance quality factors (Q > 100) and strong electromagnetic near-field enhancements to amplify and detect the characteristic absorption signatures of biochemical molecules. In contrast to the broad resonances of metal-based antennas, such all-dielectric metasurfaces provide spectral selectivity, enabling the precise retrieval of fingerprint information at multiple specific target wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and over a wide spectral operating range. I will first utilize this technology to investigate the kinetics of cellular membrane disruption by the cytolytic protein perforin-1, which is a crucial process underlying the functions of white blood cells and the innate immune system. In addition, I will implement reconfigurable high-Q metasurfaces in spectroscopic imaging experiments, allowing me to track the spatial distribution of multiple molecular species in a biological system simultaneously. These experiments will provide previously unavailable insights into cellular communication processes by revealing both the amount and the spatial distribution of secreted signaling molecules in medically relevant systems such as lymphoma cancer cells. State-of-the-art design and nanofabrication methods will be used to carry out the proposed research, including full-wave electromagnetic simulations, high-resolution electron-beam lithography, and advanced microfluidic techniques for real-time in-situ investigations of biological systems. The research will be supported by the strong nanophotonic and sensor experience of the host group of Prof. Maier as well as by the excellent infrastructure of LMU Munich related to nanotechnology and cellular biology. The proposed project overcomes fundamental limitations of current techniques and will establish a pioneering direction for surface-enhanced detection. By leveraging newly developed metasurface concepts and sensing techniques, it launches a versatile sensor platform capable of answering fundamental questions in any biochemical system where access to spatially resolved molecular information is crucial.
      28
  • Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Project, Access status: without files ,
    Ultrafast linear and Nonlinear Interactions for photoinduced Chirality in nanophotonic devices
    Chirality in nanophotonic systems has emerged as a powerful mechanism to manipulate the polarization and spin of light. However, achieving dynamic chirality control on ultrafast timescales remains a major challenge. The UNIC project aims to pioneer all-optical control of linear and nonlinear chirality using hybrid structures composed of dielectric metasurfaces and layered van der Waals (vdW) materials. The consortium brings together leading Brazilian (UPM and CNPEM) and German institutions (LMU and FSU) to explore the interplay between metasurface engineering, excitonic dynamics in 2D materials, and light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. Our central strategy is to create active chiral platforms by leveraging photo-induced symmetry breaking. We will pursue three interconnected objectives: (1) Design and realize active metasurfaces where chirality can be switched ON and OFF on a picosecond timescale. This will be achieved by optically breaking the symmetry of a novel “restored symmetry-protected chiral bound states in the continuum” (RSP-BICs), transforming a photonically achiral ground state into a strongly chiral one. (2) Integrate tailored vdW materials and heterostructures (e.g., twisted bilayers, chiral crystals) with metasurfaces. This will enable optically controlled circular dichroism (CD) by photo-exciting electronic or excitonic populations in the 2D material, with the metasurface providing strong resonant enhancement of the chiroptical response. (3) Achieve all-optical control of nonlinear chirality. We will investigate the active modulation of nonlinear CD in hybrid and monolithic structures. We will exploit the interference between the nonlinear response of the photo-activated BIC and the excitons in the layered material to create new degrees of freedom for controlling chiral light. By combining cutting-edge experimental and theoretical methods and leveraging the synergistic expertise of the consortium spanning nanofabrication, ultrafast spectroscopy, theoretical modeling, and 2D materials synthesis, UNIC will deliver a new class of miniaturized, high-speed chiral photonic devices. These advancements will pave the way for novel applications in quantum optics, tunable light sources, and next-generation optical information processing.
      29
  • Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Project, Access status: without files ,
    Integrated nano-photonic OMICs bio-SENSor for lung cancer
    OMICSENS aims to develop a radically new omics measurement platform that would be initially applied to improve non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis by ensuring a timely and accurate detection of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) resistance associated to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutations. Subsequently, OMICSENS will be used to improve prognosis of patients suffering from other types of cancers. OMICSENS targets the creation of the first nano-photonic integrated omics bio-sensor to tackle TKI resistance and improve NSCLC treatment outcome and patient prognosis. Thanks to OMICSENS, we will build a six layers technology comprised of an on-chip embedded infra-red source arrays, an artificial intelligence optimized nano-structured surface for photonic signal enhancement, a functionalized surface of high absorbance to specific analytes, a microfluidics system to deliver the sample, a metamaterial-based photo detector array with optimized quantum efficiency and an AI algorithm enabling analyte quantification. Our miniaturized omics bio-sensor will enable real time and concurrent measurements of omics, compatible with organ-on-chip (OOC) in the future. OOC is one of the most promising bioengineering developments, paving the way to more efficient drug testing and personalized medicine trough digital twinning of a biological system. But OOC is lacking a real-time, integrated bio-sensing technology. OMICSENS proposes a disruptive bio-sensor to bridge this gap. OMICSENS will create a radically new device useful for telehealth, capable of improving medical diagnostics, while fostering a patient-centered approach. To achieve our novel and ambitious objective, we have brought together an interdisciplinary consortium of top-level academics (LMU, UNITN, IBEC, KTH) and SMEs (MW, QAI, 4K-MEMS), including expertise in oncology, bio-engineering, micro-fluidics, biochemistry, MEMS, nano-photonics, computational physics and artificial intelligence.
      24
  • Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Project, Access status: without files ,
    Atomically layered materials for next-generation metasurfaces
    Advancing solid state physics and metasurfaces The development of atomically layered materials, composed of individual atomic planes bonded together by weak van der Waals (vdW) interactions, represents a crucial advancement in solid-state physics. These materials exhibit unique electronic properties and can form multi-material heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces, making them essential for various applications. However, optically accessing fundamental electronic excitations of 2D materials remains a significant challenge that hinders further progress. The ERC-funded METANEXT project aims to overcome this challenge by developing a new model for amplifying and harnessing light-matter interactions in 2D materials by shaping vdW heterostructures into resonant building blocks of optical metasurfaces. Ultimately, the project seeks to provide fundamental insights into these fields and their practices.
      21
  • Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Project, Access status: without files ,
    Riboflavin and riboflavin-derivatives as collagen cross-linker agents for improved longevity of dental restorations
    Tooth decay is a major public health challenge that places an enormous burden on the healthcare system. In order to aesthetically replace lost tooth tissue and carious defects, adhesive placed tooth-colored restorations are the most common interventions today. However, their lifespan is limited because the bond between tooth structure and restorative material is prone to degradation. Strengthening the dentinal collagen network in the bonded tooth area through additional cross-linking is a plausible mechanism to prevent or delay this degradation. The project aim therefore to contribute to the understanding of the fundamental interaction mechanisms between externally applied adjuvant collagen cross-linkers and tooth structure, in particular with regard to potentially enhanced resistance to degradation under clinically challenging conditions. Divided into three phases, the project will first screen natural materials found in the human body, such as vitamin B2 (riboflavin, RB) and RB derivatives, along with parameters for optimal functionality under environmental conditions. From a complex perspective, that includes physical, chemical, mechanical, biological and toxicological aspects, the basic interaction mechanisms of the cross-linking agents and the tooth structure will be analyzed, and the degree of collagen cross-linking quantified. Finally, a clinically applicable treatment protocol will be developed and evaluated under different simulated and increasingly aggressive clinical conditions. The project will combine multidisciplinary investigation methods at macroscopic to nanoscopic scale and provide previously unavailable insights into the processes associated with cross-linking treatment. These include scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning near-field microscopy (SNOM), high-resolution infrared imaging spectroscopy using a quantum cascade laser, quasi-static and dynamic mechanical analysis, zymography, SDS-PAGE, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity.
      16