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Group info

Our group (PI: Prof. Hiroshi Uji-i) is one part of the division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics (MIP) in the Department of Chemistry at KU Leuven (Belgium). We focus on fundamental and applied research of plasmonics for photochemistry and photophysics, including the following sub-topics, plasmon waveguiding, single-molecule studies, plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis, and drug delivery system based on plasmonic structures.

Plasmonic waveguiding

Drug delivery systems based on plasmonic structures

Nano Lett., 9, 995 （2009)

J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 2547 (2012).

Adv. Mater., 26, 5124 (2014).

Nano Lett. 2020

Anal. Chem. 2021

Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Sci. Rep., 2019, 9, 2666.

Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 16710.

Plasmon associated energy harvesting

Chem. Common. 2019, 55, 11630-11633.

J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2018, 9, 7117−7122

Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 7556–7565

Single-molecule studies

J. Am. Chem.Soc. 130, 17240 (2008).

ChemPhysChem 13, 973 (2012).

Nanoscale, 4, 1606 (2012).

Langmuir 28, 8920 (2012).

Adv. Mater. 21, 1079 (2009).

ChemPhysChem 13, 973 (2012).

Nat. Nanotechnol. 9, 131 (2014).

Nat. Commun. 10.1038/ncomms7287 (2015)

ACS Nano, 2018. 12 (10), 9842–9854.

ACS Photonics, 6, 3, 699-708 (2019)

Selected publications (full list)

Mathias Wolf, Kenji Hirai, Shuichi Toyouchi, Eduard Fron, Wannes Peters, Steven De Feyter, Hiroshi Uji-i, 'Label-free visualization of heterogeneities and 10 defects in metal–organic frameworks using nonlinear optics', Chem. Commun., 2020, 56, 13331 - 13334. (Accepted 7th October 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0cc05470d.)
Shuichi Toyouchi, Mathias Wolf, Yusuke Nakao, Yasuhiko Fujita, Tomoko Inose, Beatrice Fortuni, Kenji Hirai, Johan Hofkens, Steven De Feyter, James A. Hutchison, Hiroshi Uji-i, 'Controlled Fabrication of Optical Signal Input/Output Sites on Plasmonic Nanowires', Nano Lett. 2020, 20, 4, 2460-2467. (DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b05199. Publication Date: March 10, 2020)
L. Su, G. Lu, B. Kenens, S. Rocha, E. Fron, H. Yuan, C. Chen, P. Van Dorpe, M. B. J. Roeffaers, H. Mizuno, J. Hofkens, J. A. Hutchison, H. Uji-i, “Visualization of molecular-fluorescence point spread functions via remote excitation switching fluorescence microscopy”, Nature Commun. 2015, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7287. Link
J. A. Hutchison, H. Uji-i, A. Deres, T. Vosch, S. Rocha, S. Mueller, A. A. Bastian, J. Enderlein, H. Nourouzi, C. Li, A. Herrmann, K. Muellen, F. De Schryver, and J. Hofkens, “A surface-bound molecule that undergoes optically biased Brownian rotation,” Nat. Nanotechnol., 9(2), 131–136 (2014). Link
G. Lu, H. De Keersmaecker, L. Su, B. Kenens, S. Rocha, E. Fron, C. Chen, P. Van Dorpe, H. Mizuno, J. Hofkens, J. A. Hutchison, H. Uji-i, "Live-cell SERS endoscopy using plasmonic nanowire waveguides." Adv. Mater., 26(30), 5124-5128 (2014). Link
J. A. Hutchison, S. P. Centeno, H. Odaka, H. Fukumura, J. Hofkens, and H. Uji-i, “Subdiffraction Limited, Remote Excitation of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering,” Nano Lett., 9(3), 995–1001 (2009). Link
P. Dedecker, B. Muls, A. Deres, H. Uji-i, J. Hotta, M. Sliwa, J.-P. Soumillion, K. Muellen, J. Enderlein, and J. Hofkens, “Defocused Wide-field Imaging Unravels Structural and Temporal Heterogeneity in Complex Systems,” Adv. Mater., 21(10–11), 1079–1090 (2009). Link
M. L. Tran, S. P. Centeno, J. A. Hutchison, H. Engelkamp, D. Liang, G. Van Tendeloo, B. F. Sels, J. Hofkens, and H. Uji-i, “Control of Surface Plasmon Localization via Self-Assembly of Silver Nanoparticles along Silver Nanowires,” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130(51),17240–17241 (2008). Link