We present a fluid-membrane lens with two piezoelectric actuators that offer versatile, circular symmetric lens surface shaping. A wavefront-measurement-based control system ensures robustness against creeping and hysteresis effects of the piezoelectric actuators. We apply the adaptive lens to correct synthetic aberrations induced by a deformable mirror. The results suggest that the lens is able to correct spherical aberrations with standard Zernike coefficients between 0 μm and 1 μm, while operating at refractive powers up to about 4m-1. We apply the adaptive lens in a custom-built confocal microscope to allow simultaneous axial scanning and spherical aberration tuning. The confocal microscope is extended by an additional phase measurement system to include the control algorithm. To verify our approach, we use the maximum intensity and the axial FWHM of the overall confocal point spread function as figures of merit. We further discuss the ability of the adaptive lens to correct specimen-induced aberrations in a confocal microscope.

We have harnessed the power of various programmable photonics devices for an interferometric measurement technique. Distortion-free laser-based velocity measurements through a dynamic gas-liquid interface are enabled by a closed-loop optoelectronic system. We are employing electrically tunable lenses and micro mirrors to correct low-order wavefront distortions effectively. Our work represents a paradigm shift in interferometric velocity measurement techniques from using static to dynamic optical elements.

We present a HiLo microscope with an electrically tunable lens for high-contrast three-dimensional image acquisition. HiLo microscopy combines widefield and speckled illumination images to create optically sectioned images. Additionally, the depth-of-field is not fixed, but can be adjusted between widefield and confocal-like axial resolution. We incorporate an electrically tunable lens in the HiLo microscope for axial scanning, to obtain three-dimensional data without the need of moving neither the sample nor the objective. The used adaptive lens consists of a transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane into which an annular piezo bending actuator is embedded. A transparent fluid is filled between the membrane and the glass substrate. When actuated, the piezo generates a pressure in the lens which deflects the membrane and thus changes the refractive power. This technique enables a large tuning range of the refractive power between 1/f = (-24 . . . 25) 1/m. As the NA of the adaptive lens is only about 0.05, a fixed high-NA lens is included in the setup to provide high resolution. In this contribution, the scan properties and capabilities of the tunable lens in the HiLo microscope are analyzed. Eventually, exemplary measurements are presented and discussed.

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids are very popular for different applications because of their low viscosity and melting point. However, the hydrogen atom at the C2 position of the imidazolium cation can easily be deprotonated by a base, resulting in a reactive carbene. If an inert ionic liquid is needed, it is necessary to introduce an unreactive alkyl or aryl group at the C2 position to prevent deprotonation. Tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids (TAAILs) were first introduced by our group in 2009 and are characterized by a phenyl group at the N1 position, which offers the possibility to fine-tune the physicochemical properties by using different electron-donating or -withdrawing substituents. In this work, we present a new series of TAAILs where the C2 position is blocked by a methyl, propyl or phenyl group. For each of the blocking groups, the phenyl and three different phenyl derivatives (2-Me, 4-OMe, 2,4-F₂) are compared with respect to melting point, viscosity, conductivity and electrochemical window. In addition, the differences between blocked and unblocked TAAILs with regard to their electrochemical reduction potentials are investigated by quantum chemical methods.

Cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have gained enormous attention as promising light-emitting and light-converting materials. Most of their applications require embedding NCs in various matrices, which is a challenging task due to their low stability, especially in the case of red-emitting CsPbI3 NCs. In this work, a new approach is proposed allowing the formation of red-emitting perovskite NCs by anion exchange induced directly inside a solid polymer matrix using green-emitting CsPbBr3 NCs as templates and iodododecane as an iodine source. Moreover, a simple and efficient route to photo-assisted termination of the anion exchange reaction in the polymer composite after reaching desired optical properties is demonstrated. The findings allow the authors to pattern a thin composite film with an ultrashort UV laser resulting in a selective generation of green- and red-emitting features with a 15 µm resolution.