A method for forming a pressure sensor is provided wherein an optical fibre is provided, the optical fibre comprising a core, a cladding surrounding the core, and a birefringence structure for inducing birefringence in the core. The birefringence structure comprises first and second holes enclosed within the cladding and extending parallel to the core. A portion of the optical fibre comprising the core and the birefringence structure is encased within a chamber, wherein the chamber is defined by a housing comprising a pressure transfer element for equalising pressure between the inside and the outside of the housing. An optical sensor is provided along the core of the optical fibre. Providing the optical sensor comprises optically inducing stress in the core so that the optical sensor exhibits intrinsic birefringence. The chamber is filled with a substantially non-compressible fluid. Consequently, the birefringence structure is shaped so as to convert an external pressure provided by the non-compressible fluid within the chamber to an anisotropic stress in the optical sensor.

The disclosure relates to a touch panel. The touch panel includes a substrate having a surface, a metal nanowire film, at least one electrode, and a conductive trace. The metal nanowire film includes a metal nanowire film. The metal nanowire film includes a number of first metal nanowire bundles parallel with and spaced from each other. Each of the number of first metal nanowire bundles includes a number of first metal nanowires parallel with each other. The first distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowires is less than the second distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowire bundles.

The disclosure relates to a touch panel. The touch panel includes a substrate having a surface, a transparent conductive layer, at least one electrode, and a conductive trace. The transparent conductive layer includes a metal nanowire film. The metal nanowire film includes a number of first metal nanowire bundles parallel with and spaced from each other. Each of the number of first metal nanowire bundles includes a number of first metal nanowires parallel with each other. The first distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowires is less than the second distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowire bundles.

Defined nanoparticle cluster arrays (NCAs) with dimensions up to 25.4 m square are fabricated on a 10 nm gold film using template guided self-assembly. Structural parameters are precisely controlled, allowing systematic variation of the number of nanoparticles in the clusters (n) and edge to edge separation () between 1<n<20 and 50 nm1000 nm, respectively. Rayleigh scattering spectra and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal intensities as functions of n and reveal direct near-field coupling between the particles within individual clusters, whose strength increases with cluster size (n) until it saturates at around n=4. Strong near-field interactions between clusters significantly affects the SERS signal enhancement for edge-to-edge separations <200 nm. The NCAs support multiscale signal enhancement from simultaneous inter- and intra-cluster coupling and |E|-field enhancement. Applications include SERS-based spectral identification of bacteria.

A method for producing a reflector element and a reflector element are disclosed. In an embodiment the method includes depositing a layer sequence on a substrate, wherein the layer sequence includes at least one mirror layer and at least one reactive multilayer system and igniting the reactive multilayer system in order to activate heat input in the layer sequence.

Articles comprise a substrate and a conductive film disposed on a surface of the substrate. The conductive film comprises a volume resistivity in a range from about 0.01 Ohm-centimeters to about 10-3 Ohm-centimeters. The conductive film comprises a pencil hardness of about 8H or more. The conductive film comprises a scratch resistance of about 3 Newtons or more. Methods of forming articles comprise disposing a conductive ink on a surface of the substrate. Methods comprise heating the conductive ink at a first temperature from about 100 C. to about 250 C. for a first period of time to form a conductive film. The conductive ink comprises a conductive filler, a reactive, silane-containing binder, and a solvent.

The disclosure relates to a metal nanowire structure. The metal nanowire structure includes a substrate and a metal nanowire film located on the substrate. The metal nanowire film includes a number of first metal nanowires parallel with and spaced from each other. A width of each of the plurality of first metal nanowires is in a range from about 0.5 nanometers to about 50 nanometers. Each of the plurality of first metal nanowires is a solid structure and consists of metal material.

The disclosure relates to a metal nanowire film. The metal nanowire film includes a substrate and a number of first metal nanowire bundles located on the substrate. The number of first metal nanowire bundles are parallel with and spaced from each other. Each of the number of first metal nanowire bundles includes a number of first metal nanowires parallel with each other. The first distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowires is less than the second distance between adjacent two of the number of first metal nanowire bundles.

The invention relates to a mixture containing a gold thiolate, a rhodium(III) compound, and a solvent that contains at least one OH group, in which the mixture has a ratio V=(a)/(b)2.2; (a) is the fraction of solvent and (b) is the gold fraction of the gold thiolate, each relative to the total weight of the mixture.

The disclosure relates to a method for making a metal nanowire film. The method includes applying a metal layer on a substrate; placing a carbon nanotube composite structure on the metal layer, wherein the carbon nanotube composite structure defines a number of openings and parts of the metal layer are exposed by the number of openings; dry etching the metal layer using the carbon nanotube composite structure as a mask; and removing the carbon nanotube composite structure. The carbon nanotube composite structure includes a carbon nanotube structure and a protective layer coated on the carbon nanotube structure. The carbon nanotube structure includes a number of carbon nanotubes arranged substantially along the same direction.