Plasmonic Amyloid Tactoids


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Date

2021-12-23

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

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Data

Abstract

Despite their link to neurodegenerative diseases, amyloids of natural and synthetic sources can also serve as building blocks for functional materials, while possessing intrinsic photonic properties. Here, it is demonstrated that orientationally ordered amyloid fibrils exhibit polarization-dependent fluorescence, and can mechanically align rod-shaped plasmonic nanoparticles codispersed with them. The coupling between the photonic fibrils in liquid crystalline phases and the plasmonic effect of the nanoparticles leads to selective activation of plasmonic extinctions as well as enhanced fluorescence from the hybrid material. These findings are consistent with numerical simulations of the near-field plasmonic enhancement around the nanoparticles. The study provides an approach to synthesize the intrinsic photonic and mechanical properties of amyloid into functional hybrid materials, and may help improve the detection of amyloid deposits based on their enhanced intrinsic luminescence.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

33 (51)

Pages / Article No.

2106155

Publisher

Wiley

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

amyloid fibrils; fluorescence; gold nanorods; liquid crystals; plasmonics; self-assembly

Organisational unit

03857 - Mezzenga, Raffaele / Mezzenga, Raffaele check_circle

Notes

Funding

189917 - Biological Cholesteric Phases under Confinement (SNF)

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