Antoine AUBRET

Related publications :

• A. Aubret et al., Metamachines of pluripotent colloids, SUBMITTED
• A. Aubret et al., Diffusiophoretic design of self-spinning microgears from colloidal microswimmers, Soft Matter 2018
• A. Aubret et al., Targeted assembly and synchronization of self-spinning microgears, Nature Physics 2018

Related publications :

• C. Carrasco et al., Mapping of the hydrodynamic flow of self-phoretic microswimmers, in preparation 2021
• T. Gandhi et al.,Decision-making at a T-junction by gradient-sensing microscopic agents, Phys. Rev. Fluids 2020
• M. Youssef et al., Rapid characterization of neutral polymer brush with a conventional zetameter and a variable pinch of salt, Soft Matter 2020
• A. Aubret et al., Eppur si muove, and yet it moves: Patchy (phoretic) swimmers, Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science 2017. Invited manuscript.

The incorporation of colloidal QDs in solid and inorganic matrices has a fundamental importance in material science, notably for the building of QD based photonic devices such as QD-LEDs. We demonstrate for the first time the successful encapsulation of QDs in thin metal oxyde films using Pulsed Laser Deposition with full conservation of the optical properties of the QDs. The luminescence is maintenained by control of the kinetic energy of the ablated atoms deposited on the QDs.
We also extended our studies to the case of QDs embedded in an ultra-flat SiO2 nanolayer by ion beam sputtering.

Related publications :

• A. Aubret et al., Single CdSe/CdS Colloidal Nanocrystals Embedded in an Ultra-pure SiO2 Matrix Deposited by Ion Beam Sputtering, Semiconductor Science and Technology 2020
• A. Aubret et al., Nondestructive Encapsulation of CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots in an Inorganic Matrix by Pulsed Laser Deposition, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2016

Luminescent nano-objects have been used increasingly as local probes of various quantities such as temperature, pH, or viscosity. However, the influence of all external and intrinsic parameters on their luminescent properties must be examined in details to prevent a biased extraction of information.

In our studies, we investigate the optical properties of colloidal quantum dots (QDs). QDs are widely used fluorescent nanocrystals with size-tunable emission wavelength, but for which the inflence of the dielectric media on their properties was poorly studied. We show that a modification of the local dielectric environment influences the local-field on the QDs, which field can be probed by analysis of the fluorescence decay time. This shows that fluorescence decay measurements are inherently biased by the local surrounding dielectric. Following a detailed statistical analysis, we further demonstrate that colloidal QDs are suitable candidates as local probes of the refractive index, in particular in complex soft matter systems.

QDs also exhibit fluorescent blinking, i.e. an intermittent fluorescent characterized by “ON” and “OFF” states. We developped a new approach based on fluorescent trace autocorrelation analysis to fully characterize the blinking behavior of statistical ensembles of QDs. This unbiased approach allows overcoming previous studies that used an arbitrary thresholding method to discriminate between ON and OFF states.

Related publications :

• A. Aubret et al., Understanding Local-Field Correction Factors in the Framework of the Onsager-Böttcher Model, ChemPhysChem 2019
• A. Aubret et al., CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as sensors for the local refractive index, Nanoscale 2016
• J. Houel et al., Autocorrelation analysis for the unbiased determination of power-law exponents in single-quantum-dot blinking, ACS Nano 2015

11/2021 – Invited Workshop, Physics department of the Univ. Bordeaux, Talence – France.
09/2021 – Invited Workshop on Wave-Matter interaction, Univ. Bordeaux, Talence – France.
07/2021 – Invited Workshop, Gulliver’s journey, Univ. Bordeaux, Talence – France.
11/2019 – American Physical Society – Division of Fluid Dynamics, Seattle, Washington – USA
11/2018 – UCSD postdoc Symposium, San Diego, California – USA. “Best poster prize”
03/2018 – American Physical Society – March meeting, Los Angeles, California – USA.
02/2018 – Aspen Winter Conference – Fundamental Problems in Active Matter, Aspen, Colorado – USA.
03/2017 – 11th Southern California Flow Physics Symposium, San Diego, California – USA.
03/2017 – American Physical Society – March meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana – USA.
11/2016 – American Physical Society – Division of Fluid Dynamics, Portland, Oregon – USA.
11/2016 – UCSD postdoc Symposium, San Diego, California – USA.
06/2016 – Active and Smart Matter 2016, Syracuse, New York – USA.
02/2016 – Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, California – USA.
06/2015 – Workshop NanoNano, Lyon, France.
10/2015 – French Group of Luminophores – GFL, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
05/2014 – 8th International Conference on Quantum Dots, Pisa, Italy.
02/2014 – COST Nanospectroscopy 1, Tübingen, Germany.
01/2014 – Institute of Light and Matter – ILM – Graduate Students Seminar Series, Lyon, France.
10/2013 – NANOCON 5th International conference, Brno, Czech Republic.

02/2023 – Laborataory of Future – LoF – University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux – France.
12/2021 – Nanomotors seminar series – China.
10/2019 – Laboratory of Hydrodynamics – LadHyX – Polytechnic School, Palaiseau – France.
10/2019 – Institute of Light and Matter – ILM – University of Lyon, Lyon – France.
09/2018 – Laboratory of Waves and Matter – LOMA – University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux – France.
09/2018 – Physics Institute of Rennes – IPR – University of Rennes, Rennes – France.
09/2018 – Charles Coulomb Institute – ICC – University of Montpellier, Montpellier – France.
09/2018 – Laboratory of Physics and Mechanics of Heterogeneous Media – PMMH, Paris – France.

2020 : Invited lecturer
University of California San Diego, San Diego – USA
For the Soft Matter and Biophysics graduate class – ‘Optics for Soft Matter’.

2012 – 2015 : Teaching Assistant
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon – France.
– Laboratory practicals : Optical physics for Chemistry, undergraduate students.
– Optics and Mechanics (classes), undegraduate students preparing for the paramedic ranking exams.
-‘Professional project of undegraduate students’ (PEL) oral examiner.

2011 – 2012 : Oral examiner (2011-2012)
La Martiniere Monplaisir highschool, Lyon – France.
“Colles” for Undergraduate students in Classe Preparatoire PTSI.

01/2018 : Volunteer for the High Tech fair, in collaboration with the Physics Department of UCSD.
04/2016 : Volunteer with the Young Physicist Program, visits of the UCSD Physics Department.
10/2013 : Volunteer for the Science Fair in Lyon, in collaboration with with the with ’Beaux Arts’ Museum of Lyon.

2022 – now : Organizer of the MMB seminars at the LOMA.
2022 – now : Member of the animation team of the LOMA.
2022 – now : LOMA referent for sustainable development.
2021 – now : Elected member of the lab concil (LOMA – conseil d’unité)
2015-2020 : Area safety coordinator of the Materiali Molli Lab (UCSD)

2015 – 2020 : Postdoctoral fellow in Soft Condensed Matter Physics
University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla – USA
Department of Physics, team of Prof. Jeremie Palacci.
Working on : “Non-equilibrium self-assembly at the microscale”.

2012 – 2015 : PhD in nano-optics
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institute of Light and Matter, Lyon – France (UMR5306 – UCBL – CNRS)
Co-joint thesis with the Luminescence team of Prof. Christophe Dujardin and the Photonic Nanostructures and Materials team of Prof. Joel Bellessa. Directed by Florian Kulzer and Anne Pillonnet.
Title : “Semiconductor and plasmonic nanoparticles as probes of the dielectric environment”.

2014 : Invited PhD student
Leiden Institute of Technology, Huygens Laboratory, Leiden – Netherlands.
Single Molecule Optics group of Prof. Michel Orrit.
Working on : “Optical nanosensors for the contact geometry of surfaces”.

2015 : PhD in Physics.
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Defended on 10/23/2015 with jury members :
Dr. Thierry Gacoin (reviewer)
Prof. Pierre-Michel Adam (reviewer)
Prof. Bruno Masenelli (president)
Prof. Michel Orrit (examiner)
Prof. Florian Kulzer (director)
Prof. Anne Pillonnet (co-director)
Dr. Julien Houel (invited)

2012 : Master in fundamental physics
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon- France.
Specialty : Atomic and Molecular physics, Condensed Matter and Optics.

2010 : Bachelor in physics
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon- France.

Fundings :
2023-2024 : MITI Funding (PI), ProCSeed project
2021 : AAP – SMR department from the University of Bordeaux – PEN project, 10 KEur.
2020-2022 : Marie-Slodowska Curie fellowship, fixed amount fellowship, NanoscAM project – approx 130 KEur.

Scholarships and Recognitions :
2012 -2015 : IDEX doctoral fellowship, University of Lyon, merit-based attribution – 3 years salary for doctoral studies.
2014 : COST Action Nanospectroscopy MP 1302, Short-term scientific mission – 2500 Eur.
2014 : EOLE scholarship from the french-dutch network, For mobility to the Netherlands – 500 Eur.