Glass Micro- and Nanospheres Physics and Applications

This book summarizes the recent research and development in the field of glass micro- and nanospheres. With special focus on the physics of spherical whispering-gallery mode resonators, it presents selected examples of application of glass microspheres in biosensing, laser devices, and microwave engineering. Hollow microspheres also offer a perspective for hydrogen transport and storage. On the other hand, glass nanospheres are fundamental for a class of photonic crystals (e.g., direct and inverse opals), as well as for industrial composite materials. Both micro- and nanospheres find important applications in biomedicine. The book highlights examples of preparation techniques and applications, addresses recent challenges, and examines potential solutions. It addresses physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers, working with glass materials on microcavities, on nanotechnologies, and on their applications.

Glass Microspheres as Optical Resonators Simone Berneschi, Francesco Chiavaioli, Andrea Barucci, Daniele Farnesi, Giancarlo C. Righini, Stefano Pelli, Silvia Soria, and Gualtiero Nunzi Conti Introduction Theory of WGMs in Glass Microspheres Conclusion Glass Nanospheres and Photonic Crystals Alexander Quandt, Maurizio Ferrari, and Andrea Chiappini Introduction and Survey Scattering of Light by Spherical Objects Interference and Bragg Diffraction Photonic Crystals Summary and Outlook Glass Nanospheres and Artificial Opals A. Chiappini, C. Armellini, A. Carpentiero, L. Pasquardini, A. Vaccari, S. Pelli, V. Piccolo, A. Lukowiak, G. C. Righini, R. Ramponi, D. Zonta, and M. Ferrari Introduction Synthesis of Dielectric Nanospheres Artificial Opals by Self-Assembly Approach Properties of Opals Heterostructures Infiltrated Opals Inverse Opals Conclusions Coating of Glass Microspheres Davor Ristic, Mile Ivanda, Maurizio Ferrari, Andrea Chiappini, and Giancarlo C. Righini Introduction Coating Methods Low-Refractive-Index Coatings High-Refractive-Index Coating: General Consideration Modal Dispersion Tailoring Coating for Sensing Applications Fluorescent Layers for Lasing Application Optically Passive Layers for Thermal Effects Conclusion Biomedical Sensing Applications of Microspherical Resonators Silvia Soria, Simone Berneschi, Andrea Barucci, Alessandro Cosci, Daniele Farnesi, Gualtiero Nunzi Conti, Stefano Pelli, and Giancarlo C. Righini Introduction Optical Label-Free Biomedical Sensors Surface Functionalization Biochemical Sensing with Passive Microspheres Biochemical Sensing with Active Microspheres Labeled versus Label-Free WGM Resonators Conclusions and Outlook Optical Frequency Conversion in Microspheres Daniele Farnesi, Giancarlo C. Righini, Gualtiero Nunzi Conti, and Silvia Soria Introduction Third-Harmonic and Third-Order Sum-Frequency Generation in WGMRs Four-Wave Mixing Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) Conclusions Applications of Optical WGM Microresonators to Microwaves and Millimeter Waves Pierre-Henri Merrer and Olivier Llopis Introduction: The Use of Optical Resonances in the Microwave Range Laser Stabilization on a Sphere Resonance Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Generation Using Optical Spheres Conclusions Applications of Glass Micro- and Nanospheres Giancarlo C. Righini and Francesco Prudenzano Introduction Microsphere Lasers Glass Microspheres, Glass Beads, and Ball Lenses Fillers for Composite Materials Personal Care and Biomedical Applications Energy Applications Conclusion

Giancarlo C. Righini is a physicist. He worked for almost 40 years at CNR, the National Research Council of Italy, in Florence and Rome, becoming research director of various organizations. After his retirement from CNR, he was director of the Enrico Fermi Centre in Rome (2012–2016). His interests concern optical holography, fiber and integrated optics, and glass materials. He has published over 500 papers and has been chair of several committees of international conferences. He was vice president of IUPAP and of ICO, cofounder and president of the Italian Society of Optics and Photonics (SIOF), secretary of EOS, and member of the board of directors of SPIE. He is chair of the Technical Committee on Glasses for Optoelectronics of the ICG, fellow of EOS, OSA, SIOF, and SPIE, and a meritorious member of SIF.