The world is currently facing a pandemic of a new emerging virus from the coronavirus family named COVID-19. Detection of infected patients is crucial to break the epidemic situation. As a consequence it is essential to diagnose fast and in large number populations to sort rapidly those who are infected. Diagnosis of COVID-19 is carried out by a molecular biology approach consisting in the detection of the COVID-19 RNA genome by a quantitative RT-PCR approach. This strategy is efficient but is time consuming and needs a trained medical staff in a dedicated laboratory. Here we propose a new strategy based on physics technologies :acoustic and optical. AcOstoVIe project aims to prototype a label-free COVID-19 diagnosis device, based by on 2 biosensors on a same quartz substrate. A Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) and an optical reflexion – existing technologies already tested for ebola virus diagnosis – will be integrated in a sytem to detect COVID-19 (i) RNA genome (ii) viral particles and (iii) serology of infected patients. Compared to existing technologies, AcOstoVIe project will provide the valuable advantages : (i) point-of-care diagnosis, (ii) faster (< 30 min), (iii) friendly user (no trained medical staff), (iv) nomad without restriction of dedicated laboratory localization, (v) double check detection, (vi) partly reusable. From the Proof of Concept delivered after T0+12, the system will be next challenged with infectious and non-infectious sample fluids issued from collaborations with medical infrastructures and virology laboratories. The final compact system will be next co-design with practitioners.

Lighting is a major source of energy consumption and the introduction of LEDs has been a game changer to reduce electrical consumption. Nanocrystal-based LEDs (QLEDs) have reached a high level of maturity with their use as light source in displays. In the infrared, there is currently a technological gap between 1.5 and 4 µm with very few sources available. Within BRIGHT, we aim to design infrared emitting QLEDs with enhanced light-matter coupling to address emission from 1 to 3 µm. Our strategy aims to couple the nanocrystals to optical resonators to achieve enhanced light extraction, which remains so far a key limitation of OLEDs and nanocrystal-based LEDs. Not only this spectral range (>2 µm) has never been addressed using nanocrystals, but the second challenge relates to the design of structure combing electrical transport with a nanophotonic structure. This project can find applications in gas spectroscopy, airfield lighting and industrial vision.

COupling Ultraquickly and Ultrastrongly Plasmonic and Photonic modes for Largely Efficient Sensing (COUUPPLES). Optical sensors allow contactless interrogation and rely on the availability of numerous sources and detectors. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are largely used as their localized surface plasmon resonance is altered by small perturbations of their environment, enabling high detection sensitivity. We already demonstrated a spectacular enhancement of the ultrafast optical response of gold NPs once coupled with a resonant photonic mode of a 1D microcavity in the weak-coupling regime, together with a reduction of the resonance linewidth. It is even possible to reach the ultrastrong coupling regime. A laser pulse can induce switching from the strong to the weak coupling in less than a picosecond. Our project will first demonstrate this experimentally by inserting an array of aligned gold nanorods at the photonic antinode of a multi-layered cavity. The anticrossing behaviour of the polariton mode dispersion curve will be shown and the proof for ultrastrong coupling regime will be established. The high susceptibility to the NP environment of the polariton modes and their ultrafast dynamics will then be exploited to realize new plasmon-based sensors with high sensitivity and large effective volume. Hybrid cavities will be elaborated by mixed nanofabrication techniques and their optical response assessed and modelled. The near-field dynamics will be determined by via an original pump-probe fluorescence investigation. The cavities will then be integrated in a microfluidic environment and their potential for sensing will be tested through six different configurations with growing complexity, from the simple continuous monochromatic light interrogation to the exploitation of the spectral and temporal signatures of the device’s ultrafast transient optical response. The sensitivity of these sensing configurations to changes in the refractive index of the gold nanorod environment will be first determined. Then, a DNA aptamer will be grafted on the nanorod surface, able to bind with both large and small biomolecules. In order to establish the proof of concept of our new localized plasmon-based sensing pathways, we will chose as the analyte thrombin, a protein involved in several cardiovascular diseases, as well as small drug molecules possessing known anticancer and anti-viral activities. The project will be carried out through an interdisciplinary approach gathering three academic laboratories: LuMIn for the theoretical and experimental ultrafast optical response assessment, L2n for nanofabrication and optical characterization, and LBPA for biofunctionalization.

Fast growth of Nanophotonics requires development of advanced integrated light nanosources for, e.g., nanospectroscopy and nanosensors. In this context, hybrid plasmonic nanosources (HPN), based on coupling between metal nanostructures and quantum nanoemitters, have given rise to intense research efforts. However, lake of control of spatial distribution of the nanoemitters makes limited the use of HPN. Advanspec aims at addressing this challenge. Intrinsic plasmonic modes of metal nanostructures will induce local surface functionalization through plasmon-mediated reduction of aryl diazonium salts in order to locally attach nanoemitters. The resulting anisotropic HPN will be polarization sensitive, permitting new multicolor emission properties and control. Three partners (L2n, LCBPT and ITODYS) will work for 4 years on 5 workpackages: surface chemistry, nanoplasmonics, HPN fabrication, HPN characterization, and use of the HPN for nanospectroscopy, as a first illustration of its potentials.

For many years, cultural property in general and archaeological artefacts in particular have become currencies for small-scale trafficking to terrorist financing or money laundering means for mafia organizations. The challenge of the NOSE project is to be able to implement a technical solution to protect archaeological objects as well as those involved in the preservation of these properties: from the archaeological excavation team to the museum curator. It is therefore a question of proposing a robust, durable and easily usable solution on an excavation site. In this context, a solution based on inks containing nanometric markers is envisaged. This ink will offer different levels of protection and will be easily usable by end users, i.e. archaeologists, museum curators and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).