Abstract

The Properties of Self-Assembled Nanoparticle Waveguides and their Potential as Lab-In-A-Microfiber Technology

John Canning, Professor, University of Sydney

Recently reported bottom-up self-assembly approaches to fabricate waveguides that have the potential of enabling total control of the nanostructure are reviewed. Their fabrication at room temperature enables complex functionality to be introduced into the passive silica optical waveguide platform. In this way materials that cannot be normally integrated into optical fibre or optical microfibres because of thermodynamic imposts can be incorporated during fabrication or post-fabrication. Control over the porosity in size and distribution provides a new avenue for control filtering and sieve applications. In combination with photonics, the possibility of integrated laboratory-in-a-microfibre, an alternative sensor and diagnostic platform to new lab-in-a-fibre and lab-on-fibre technologies which in turn are being explored as alternatives to lab-on-a-chip, becomes feasible.