Nanooptics and plasmonics

Recent progress in nanotechnology has enabled the generation, control, and manipulation of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale. Nanophotonics, which reveals new optical phenomena, has led to novel and rapidly developing fields such as plasmonics, photonic crystals, and metamaterials. Over the last few decades, explosive growth in this field encompasses fundamental research and applications that exploit unique optical properties. Research topics focus on theoretical studies and experimental investigations of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. These include strongly enhanced and extremely confined electromagnetic modes supported by plasmonic nanostructures, linear and nonlinear electromagnetic phenomena for light modulation and detection using ultracompact nanophotonic components, dynamic and multifunctional optical metasurfaces for controlling radiation flow and wavefronts, and efficient coupling of quantum emitters to nanostructures for enhanced spontaneous emissions.

Sensing and microfluidics

Sensor technologies contribute to the fulfilment of sustainability goals by promoting sustainable food consumption, enabling accessible healthcare, and ensuring climate change resilience. A particular focus is on microfluidic sensing applications. Microfluidics deals with liquid sample handling on the micro- and nano-scale, where conditions differ from regular flow systems. Most importantly, physical properties like viscosity and surface interactions dominate, while inertia is almost negligible. This creates laminar flow conditions, which provide interesting novel possibilities. We fabricate and use a range of microfluidic tools to handle, manipulate and control liquid and water samples, typically in the µL to nL range.

Organic thin film and devices

Organic semiconductor materials have a range of useful properties, which can be tuned by chemical synthesis techniques for particular applications such as emission or absorption of light within certain wavelength ranges. Inherent mechanical flexibility of those materials also enables us to  develop bendable and stretchable devices which form the basis of organic lightemitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic photodetectors.

Ultrafast spectroscopy

Characteristic processes in hard and soft matter occur on very short time scales, from femtoseconds (electronic processes) over picoseconds (phononic processes) to microseconds (reactive processes). Ultrafast spectroscopy uses ultrashort light pulse sequences to study photoinduced dynamic processes in molecules, nanostructures and solids. We focus on timeresolved spectroscopy to trace dynamics in materials via  light emission phenomena that occur in extremely short periods, therewith improving the performance and device lifetime.

Bio- and medical technology

We develop and apply biological systems for production of food, feed, chemicals, and renewable energy carriers. We also develop new medical treatments and processes for reducing pollution.