Near-Field Optical control of Doughnut-Shaped Nanostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how near-field optical excitation can precisely reshape doughnut-shaped azopolymer nanostructures, enabling studies of their optical properties and applications in nanoreactors and self-assembly.

Contribution

It introduces a method for step-by-step photoinduced reshaping of nanostructures using near-field optics, advancing control over nano-object morphology.

Findings

Successful control of nanostructure reshaping via near-field optical excitation

Potential to study size-dependent optical properties at the nanoscale

Application in self-assembly of nanospheres into supraballs

Abstract

The application of a local near-field optical excitation can be used to control step-by-step the reshape of individual doughnut-shaped azopolymer nano-objects by varying the time of illumination demonstrating its promising performance as a functional nano-object. The possibility to provide both photoinduced reshaping opens a way to the fundamental study of size-dependent scaling laws of optical properties, photoinduced reshaping efficiency and nanoreactor or nanoresonator behavior at nanometer scale. As an example the nano-object is used to self-assembly polystyrene nanospheres in a supraball.