NanoSoft Laboratory

Research topics:

Green Chemistry – Advanced Materials –  Chemistry for Life Sciences

Keywords:

 

Optical Trapping, Raman Tweezers, Light Scattering Theory, Plasmonics, nanospectroscopy (SERS/TERS),  Acoustic Tweezers

The research activity is mainly related to the various aspects of nano science and nanophotonics with a key focus on spectroscopic characterization (Raman, SERS, TERS) and on optical trapping and manipulation (optical twezers) of nanostructures. These studies have applications in many various fields such as environmental monitoring of plastic pollution, active materials, metasurfaces and characterization of extra-terrestrial particles. Acoustic trapping, which use ultrasounds to confine particles, allows to extend laboratory studies also to millimetric and submillimetric particles.

The activities:

  • SERS from colloidal nanoparticles (nanospheres, nanorods, nanostars).
  • Polarization SERS with nanoantennas.
  • Engineering of plasmonic properties of linear nanoantennas.
  • Low-cost Fiber-SERS sensors based on silver colloidal nanoparticles.
  • TERS – Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
  • AFM/STM.
  • Optical tweezers for force sensing.
  • Raman Tweezers
  • Optical forces on nanostructures (carbon nanotubes, graphene, polymeric nanofibers, micro/nano-plastics, silicon nanowires, plasmonic nanoparticles and aggregates).
  • Acoustic Trapping

LIST OF AVAILABLE INSTRUMENTATION

  • NanoRaman: Xplora Nano with AFM-Raman module  (Horiba Scientific)

  • Single-beam optical tweezers and holographic optical tweezers based on SLM (Hamamatsu)

  • Raman tweezers (Home built)

  • Optical tweezer with QPD tracking for force sensing

  • White light supercontinuum source (NKT) – 6W

  • Single array acoustic tweezers  (Home built)

  • Two acoustic levitator (Home built)

Projects

  • Ecosistema SAMOTHRACE – SiciliAn MicronanOTecH Research And Innovation CEnter – PNRR. 01/10/2022 – 30/09/2025
  • Active Matter: From Fundamental Science to Technological Applications (ActiveMatter ITN). 01/09/2019 – 29/02/2024
  • Spectroscopy of Planetary and AtmospheriC particulatE by optical Tweezers (SPACE TWEEZERS). 2/12/2019 – 15/05/2023
  • Joint Bilateral Project between the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the TUBITAK-Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. 02/01/2019 –  31/12/2022