Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via a polyol synthetic method50 and purified with vacuum filtration (using 650, 450 and 220 nm pore size Millipore Durapore membranes). 1 mL AgNPs (stored in ethanol) were washed twice with ethanol and re-dispersed in CHCl3 solution (~0.2 mL). A glass petri dish was filled with DI water, AgNPs (in CHCl3) were added drop by drop to the air-water interface in petri dish and form a Langmuir film of AgNPs. After making the AgNPs film, we waited about 2 h till equilibrium and then transferred the AgNPs film onto an oxygen-plasma treated coverslip by dipping into the petri dish. Finally, a random array of AgNPs was formed on the coverslip. The average size of the AgNPs was 60 ± 30 nm. The variation in the shapes and sizes will provide richer dynamic speckles for HMES nanoscopy. Polymethylmethacrylate (950PMMA A2, Micro Chem) spin-coated thin film was formed with 2000 rpm for 45 s in order to reduce surface roughness. After that, the rr-OHM film was fabricated36. 98% regioregular P3HT (molecular weight Mw ~87,000, Sigma Aldrich) of 100 mg was dissolved in 1 mL chlorobenzene by heating the solution to 50 °C for 3 h and resting at room temperature for 2 h. Thin films were spin-coated on the AgNPs-PMMA layer at 5000 rpm for 60 s. Optical characterization of the OHM (film thickness: 182 nm) was performed via a rotating polarizer type spectroscopic ellipsometer (J.A. Woollam M-2000D, J. A. Wollam Co. Ltd.)36,51. The optical transfer function calculation results show that the resolution improvement will be decreased with further increasing the thickness of the OHM film due to the absorption loss (Supplementary Fig. 8). Polystyrene beads (refractive index n = 1.6, radius r = 40 nm) were then drop-cast onto the OHM.
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