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Prof. Yadong Yin and colleagues from the University of California, Riverside have developed a novel growth process that allows for the creation of high-quality Au nanoshells on relatively small magnetic Fe3O4 cores (20–150 nm) with excellent plasmonic properties. The nanoscale magnetic assembly strategy allows for active tuning of the plasmon coupling of nanostructures  Fig 1: The UV–vis spectra of the UCR nanoshells with different core diameters.

Prof. Yadong Yin and his colleagues from the University of California, Riverside have developed a new method for the self-assembly of supraparticles at all scales. The method uses an emulsion-based template-assisted self-assembly of superstructures unrestricted to the chemical composition of the building blocks.  Emulsion droplets containing materials that will form the supraparticles are distributed by using uniform holes patterned on a template film as a collective and size-controllable platform of superstructures. This emulsion method allows for the superstructuring of various shapes and types of building blocks at all scales without any additional surfactants to the system. Additionally, external stimuli such as magnetic or electric fields may be used to tune the assembly of supraparticles. Fig 1. A scanning electron microscope image of the supraparticles of silica nanoparticles formed in the micro-hole template. The inset highlights one supraparticle.  

Prof. Jing Shi and his colleagues from the University of California, Riverside have developed two new applications to utilize spin current in electronic devices. The first is a pure spin current switch that allows for the manipulation of pure spin current in electronic devices by allowing the user to switch between an “on” and “off” state. The device includes a first metal layer, a magnetic insulator layer, and a second metal layer. This technology controls the flow of information by switching the direction of magnetization of the middle layer. Since spin current does not require electricity, the spin current switch holds an innovative promise for the future of the way electronic devices channel current. The second is a non-volatile random access memory (RAM) device capable of using spin current to reduce electricity consumption. The technology can transmit information through electrical insulators, where the flow of information can be switched “off” by applying a magnetic field. The “on” and “off” states are two non-volatile memory states that can be stored as the magnetization direction of the magnetic insulator layer. This technology holds promise for a new generation of RAM technology that is not limited by memory bottleneck.  Fig. 1: A schematic illustration of a spin current valve. Top: The switch in the "on" position. Bottom: The switch in the "off" position.  

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Background: Not only does Gold possess strong size and shape, but may be used to enhance color-based biosensor applications. Colloidal nanoparticles of Gold exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance, resulting in significant scattering and absorption in the visible spectrum. Description:UCR researchers have developed a film that memorizes stress it experiences through color change. The film captures and records the distribution and amount of pressure between two contacting surfaces by outputting color information. The novel polymer film contains embedded Gold nanoparticles creating a color based on plasmonic interactions. As pressure is applied, the particle spacing changes and in turn changes the color.

Background: Biomolecular imaging is important in understanding characteristics of molecules and analyzing quantitative  data for research. Gold has been used for Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) which is utilized  for biomolecular imaging. Because of Gold’s high stability structurally and chemically, it is resourceful in this sort of technology.  Compared to Gold, Silver does not have as strong of a stability in non ideal chemical environments, but has high reactivity, supports strong surface plasmon polarization modes, and has higher storage of electrical energy than Gold.Description: UCR researchers have created Silver-Gold  alloy nanospheres through annealing techniques which may be used in SPR that creates optimal and effective results.  By annealing the Silver and Gold metal alloy, it has shown remarkable stability in harsh chemical environments, extremely narrow bandwidths, and shows large extinction pathways. These  specific characteristics enable many plasmonic applications with high performance and long lifetime, especially any involving corrosive species making the Silver-Gold alloy the most favorable choice for SPR.