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“Asymmetric dyes align inside carbon nanotubes to yield a large nonlinear optical response”. Cambré, S, Campo J, Beirnaert C, Verlackt C, Cool P, Wenseleers W, Nature nanotechnology 10, 248 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2015.1
Abstract: Asymmetric dye molecules have unusual optical and electronic properties1, 2, 3. For instance, they show a strong second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) response that has attracted great interest for potential applications in electro-optic modulators for optical telecommunications and in wavelength conversion of lasers2, 3. However, the strong Coulombic interaction between the large dipole moments of these molecules favours a pairwise antiparallel alignment that cancels out the NLO response when incorporated into bulk materials. Here, we show that by including an elongated dipolar dye (p,p′-dimethylaminonitrostilbene, DANS, a prototypical asymmetric dye with a strong NLO response4) inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)5, 6, an ideal head-to-tail alignment in which all electric dipoles point in the same sense is naturally created. We have applied this concept to synthesize solution-processible DANS-filled SWCNTs that show an extremely large total dipole moment and static hyperpolarizability (β0 = 9,800 × 10−30 e.s.u.), resulting from the coherent alignment of arrays of ∼70 DANS molecules.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Nanostructured and organic optical and electronic materials (NANOrOPT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 38.986
Times cited: 46
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2015.1
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“Microneedle array-based electrochemical sensor functionalized with SWCNTs for the highly sensitive monitoring of MDMA in interstitial fluid”. Drăgan A-M, Parrilla M, Cambré, S, Domínguez-Robles J, Detamornrat U, Donnelly RF, Oprean R, Cristea C, De Wael K, Microchemical journal 193, 109257 (2023). http://doi.org/10.1016/J.MICROC.2023.109257
Abstract: Illicit drug consumption constitutes a great concern worldwide due to its increased spread and abuse, and the negative consequences exerted on society. For instance, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic amphetamine-type substance, was abused by 20 million people worldwide in 2020. This psychoactive substance exerts a myriad of effects on the human body being dangerous for the consumer’s health. Besides, MDMA has been used in the treatment of some psychiatric conditions. Therefore, the development of wearable devices for MDMA sensing in biological fluids is of great importance for forensic toxicology (e.g., monitoring of patients with suspected or known MDMA consumption) as well as for therapeutic management of patients. Herein, we report the development of a wearable electrochemical platform based on a hollow microneedle (MN) array sensor for the monitoring of MDMA in the interstitial fluid by square-wave voltammetry. First, the holes of the MN array were modified with conductive pastes to devise a MN patch with a three-electrode system. Subsequently, the functionalization of the working electrode with nanomaterials enhanced MDMA detection. Thereafter, analytical parameters were evaluated exhibiting a slope of 0.05 µA µM−1 within a linear range from 1 to 50 µM and a limit of detection of 0.75 µM in artificial interstitial fluid. Importantly, critical parameters such as selectivity, piercing capability, temperature, reversibility and stability were assessed. Overall, the obtained MN sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance, making it a promising tool for MDMA tracking in interstitial fluid for individuals on probation or under therapeutic treatment.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Pharmacology. Therapy; Nanostructured and organic optical and electronic materials (NANOrOPT); Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab)
Impact Factor: 4.8
DOI: 10.1016/J.MICROC.2023.109257
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“Experimental observation of single-file water filling of thin single-wall carbon nanotubes down to chiral index (5,3)”. Cambré, S, Schoeters B, Luyckx S, Goovaerts E, Wenseleers W, Physical review letters 104, 207401 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.207401
Abstract: Single-file transport of water into carbon nanotubes is experimentally demonstrated for the first time through the splitting of the radial breathing mode (RBM) vibration in Raman spectra of bile salt solubilized tubes when both empty (closed) and water-filled (open-ended) tubes are present. D2O filling is observed for a wide range of diameters, d, down to very thin tubes [e.g., (5,3) tube, d=0.548 nm] for which only a single water molecule fits in the cross section of the internal nanotube channel. The shift in RBM frequency upon filling is found to display a very complex dependence on nanotube diameter and chirality, in support of a different yet well-defined ordering and orientation of water molecules at room temperature. Large shifts of the electronic transitions are also observed.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Particle Physics Group; Nanostructured and organic optical and electronic materials (NANOrOPT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 8.462
Times cited: 140
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.207401
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