Optimizing immersion media refractive index improves optical trapping by compensating spherical aberrations

The efficiency of an optical trap is limited by its axial strength. Light focused by oil-immersion objectives provides stronger traps but suffers from spherical aberrations, thus restricting the axial stability and working distance. By changing the refractive index of the immersion media we compensate spherical aberrations and measure axial trapping strengths at least twice as large as previously reported. Moreover, the spherical aberrations can be compensated at any desired depth. The improved trapping efficiency implies significantly less heating of the particles, thus diminishing previously published concerns about using gold nanoparticles as handles for optical manipulation.     

Dielectrophoretically Modulated Optical Spectroscopy of Colloidal Nanoparticle Solutions in Microfluidic Channels

Optical spectroscopic techniques (e.g., extinction, scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopies) are important for the analysis of colloidal solutions of nanoparticles (NPs). They are routinely applied to plasmonic and quantum-dot NP samples assuming that these contain a single population of particles with modest size and shape dispersity. However, these spectroscopic techniques become less effective when the sample is a mixture of particles with different sizes, shapes, or composition. Here, an original microfluidic method is proposed for the optical spectroscopic analysis of colloidal NP solutions that combines periodic trapping of NPs by dielectrophoresis (DEP) with in situ optical extinction spectroscopy. The periodic trapping leads to modulation of the continuously monitored optical spectrum depending on the DEP properties of the NPs. DEP-modulated spectroscopy is demonstrated using colloidal gold NPs as small as 40 nm diameter. It is found that the DEP modulation is significantly enhanced when employing suitable microfluidic flow over a multielectrode array. Finally, it is shown that the method can identify and characterize the NP species simultaneously present in a mixture of 40 and 80 nm gold NPs, opening the way toward optical spectroscopic analysis of higher complexity NP mixtures through the combination of the DEP-modulated spectroscopy with chemometric methods.     

Real-time and background-free detection of nanoscale particles

We introduce a background-free real-time detection scheme capable of recognizing low-index nanoparticles such as single viruses in water. The method is based on interferometrically measuring the electromagnetic field amplitude of the scattered light. A split detector is used to generate a background-free signal that renders unprecedented sensitivity for small particles. In its current configuration the sensor is capable of detecting low-index particles in water down to 10 nm in radius or single gold particles as small as 5 nm. We demonstrate the detection of such small particles in a microfluidic system with a time resolution of 1 ms and we discuss the theoretical limits of this novel detection scheme.     

Plasmonic optical trap having very large active volume realized with nano-ring structure

The feasibility of using gold nano-rings as plasmonic nano-optical tweezers is investigated. We found that at a resonant wavelength of λ=785 nm, the nano-ring produces a maximum trapping potential of ~32k(B)T on gold nanoparticles. The existence of multiple potential wells results in a very large active volume of ~10(6) nm(3) for trapping the target particles. The report nano-ring design provides an effective approach for manipulating nano-objects in very low concentration into the high-field region and is well suited for integration with microfluidics for lab-on-a-chip applications.     

Silver and gold nanoparticle coated membranes applied to protein dot blots

Detection and identification of low abundance biomarker proteins is frequently based on various types of membrane-based devices. Lowering of the protein detection limits is vital in commercial applications such as lateral flow assays and in Western blots widely used in proteomics. These currently suffer from insufficient detection sensitivity and low retention for small 2–5 kDa proteins. In this study, we report the deposition of two types of metal nanoparticles: gold colloids (50–95 nm diameter) and silver fractals onto a range of commonly used types of membranes including polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Due to strong affinity of proteins to noble metals, such modified membranes have the potential to effectively capture trace proteins preventing their loss. The membranes modified by metal particles were characterized optically and by SEM. The membrane performance in protein dot blots was evaluated using the protein—fluorophore conjugates Deep Purple-bovine serum albumin and fluorescein—human serum albumin. We found that the metal nanoparticles increase light extinction by metals, which is balanced by increased fluorescence, so that the effective fluorescence signal is unchanged. This feature combined with the capture of proteins by the nanoparticles embedded in the membrane increases the detection limit of membrane assays.     

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy of metallic gold nanoparticles

The optical properties of supported gold nanoparticles with sizes of 1.3 nm, 1.6 nm, 2.5 nm, and 2.9 nm have been studies by using cavity ring-down spectroscopy in the photon energy range between 1.8 eV and 3.0 eV. The obtained results show the possibility to obtain optical information of nanoassembled materials with high sensitivity. The experimental findings are compared to calculations using Mie-Drude theory. Whereas the broadening of the surface plasmon resonance with decreasing size is well described by this model, the observed blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance contradicts the predictions of the Mie-Drude theory. The latter effect can be explained by the presence of a skin region with decreased polarizability typical for coinage metal particles. Furthermore, it is found that the supported gold nanoparticles are robust under ambient conditions, an important issue when using these materials for optical applications.     

Optical trapping of gold nanoparticles by cylindrical vector beam

Optical trapping of gold nanoparticles is experimentally demonstrated using radially and azimuthally polarized beams. The transverse optical trapping stiffness of gold nanoparticles is measured. The radially polarized beam exhibits a higher trapping efficiency than the azimuthally polarized beam and the Gaussian beam. The transverse stiffness of particles with different diameters is measured experimentally and calculated via the discrete-dipole approximation method, and good agreement between theory and experiment is found.     

DNA Biosensor with High Sensitivity Amplified by Gold Nanoparticles

A biosensor based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) using 50 nm gold nanoparticles as the amplification probe for DNA detection was reported in this paper. It had been found that a DNA detection sensitivity of 10^–14 M could be obtained, which was higher than what has been ever reported using the same method. In the curve of weight increase (m) against the target DNA in solution, a plateau appeared as the concentration of analyte DNA increasing, implying the existence of monolayer of gold nanoparticles binding on the top of target DNA. The high sensitivity was explained not only by the weight of the larger particles, but also the larger area occupied by the larger particles which need less target DNA for their binding.     

硫醇衍生化的纳米金与癌胚抗原相互作用的光学分析

纳米金已在在药物靶向传输体系、疾病检测、分子识别、生物标签等领域有着广泛的应用,但是,由于纳米金的表面效应,大量的表面原子具有巨大剩余成键能力,使得纳米金粒子较容易团聚、沉聚,影响了其稳定性。为了实现对肿瘤靶标之一-癌胚抗原的痕量检测,需要制备出对癌胚抗原检测具有良好的增色效应与荧光增敏效应的纳米材料。该工作采用纳米金的硫醇衍生法制备了一种新型的硫醇衍生化的纳米金材料,并对此新型硫醇衍生化的纳米金材料的特性用透射电子显微镜,紫外-可见吸收光谱,荧光发射光谱和红外光谱等方法进行了研究。紫外-可见吸收光谱,荧光发射光谱的实验结果表明,在新的配体乙二硫醇存在下,有更多的电子从配体的轨道跃迁到与中心离子相关的轨道上,导致荧光增强。这种新型硫醇衍生化的纳米金与癌胚抗原作用时表现出增色效应与荧光增敏效应,而纳米金与癌胚抗原作用时看不到这种增色效应与荧光增敏效应。红外方法的研究结果表明,这种材料的蛋白增色机理为当硫醇衍生化纳米金与癌胚抗原蛋白作用时,体系中蛋白的—OH表现出更多的面外弯曲振动,有利于电子从硫醇衍生化纳米金配合物向蛋白转移而导致其增色和荧光增敏效应。因而这种新的硫醇衍生化纳米金材料比纳米金将具有更好的生物检测应用价值。     

Hollow-core photonic crystal fiber based multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and detection of fluorescent particles

We demonstrate a novel multifunctional optical system that is capable of trapping, imaging, position sensing, and fluorescence detection of micrometer-sized fluorescent test particles using hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). This multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and fluorescent detection is designed such that a near-IR laser light is used to create an optical trap across a liquid-filled HC-PCF, and a 473 nm laser is employed as a source for fluorescence excitation. This proposed system and the obtained results are expected to significantly enable an efficient integrated trapping platform employing HC-PCF for diagnostic biomedical applications.     

Tuning a Bisphenol A Lateral Flow Assay Using Multiple Gold Nanosystems

Advanced bisphenol A (BPA) lateral flow assays (LFAs) that use multiple nanosystems are reported. The assays use three nanosystems: gold nanostars, gold nanocubes, and gold nanorods, which are rarely applied in LFAs, compared with general gold nanoparticles that are referred to as gold nanospheres in this paper. These various nanosystems are bound to anti‐BPA antibodies and applied in LFAs to develop advanced BPA LFAs; the developed LFAs show differing BPA detection performance, as well as different visible colors, optical intensities, limits of detection, and application ranges. Advanced BPA LFAs that use multiple gold nano‐object shapes are successfully developed, and the geometry effects of diverse gold nanosystems coupled with anti‐BPA antibodies and the potential applications of regular BPA LFAs are explored.     

Probing of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cell using in situ aggregates of Au-NPs as SERS label created by plasmon exciting hybrid-TEM*11 laser mode

Apart from commonly employed target-specific labeling/adsorption of antibodies over Au-NPs surface for the creation of localized aggregates, an alternative approach using optical tweezers (OT) driven by hybrid-TEM*₁₁ mode has been devised and exploited for in vitro detection of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells (EAC) relying on enhanced scattering. Intra-cavity generated spatially featured asymmetric (SFA) laser beam (λ = 532 nm) has effected simultaneous trapping of mice-EAC cells and in-situ crowd/assembly of incubated Au-NPs/small gold nano-aggregates (created from two or more individual Au-NPs). Relatively larger focus spot created by tightly focused SFA beam than frequently employed Gaussian-mode in OT has offered an extended working area and hence dilute heating has taken care of EAC cells. GNA improves significantly the sensitivity of diagnostics relying on scattered light and the safety and efficacy of therapeutic nanotechnologies for the diseases of cancer and vascular system in medicine.     

3D multiple optical trapping of Au-nanoparticles and prokaryote <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> using intra-cavity generated non-circular beam of inhomogeneous intensity

We report 3D multiple trapping of dielectric polystyrene (PS) beads and gold nano-particles (GNPs) in single beam optical tweezers system using an asymmetric beam of inhomogeneous intensity distribution. This special kind of beam of quasi-TEM₁₁ profile was generated from intra-cavity CW-laser source operating at 532 nm. Multiple trapping of both the low refractive index rod-like Escherichia coli bacteria and 253 nm plasmonic GNPs dispersed in 1.025 μm PS beads which were homogenized in de-ionized water was realized utilizing this spatial beam. Laser-GNPs interaction rendered the enhancement of local surface plasmon resonance field around GNPs causing long-range aggregation of PS beads. The multiple trapping of plasmonic GNPs by the present simple method might find applications for micro- and nano-connectors, underlying physical processes in light-matter interaction assays for inter-particle force analysis, cancer diagnostic and photothermolysis, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy, and surface plasmon based biological and chemical sensors.     

Interaction of gold nanoparticles with nanosecond laser pulses: Nanoparticle heating

Theoretical and experimental results on the heating process of gold nanoparticles irradiated by nanosecond laser pulses are presented. The efficiency of particle heating is demonstrated by in-vitro photothermal therapy of human tumor cells. Gold nanoparticles with diameters of 40 and 100 nm are added as colloid in the cell culture and the samples are irradiated by nanosecond pulses at wavelength of 532 nm delivered by Nd:YAG laser system. The results indicate clear cytotoxic effect of application of nanoparticle as more efficient is the case of using particles with diameter of 100 nm. The theoretical analysis of the heating process of nanoparticle interacting with laser radiation is based on the Mie scattering theory, which is used for calculation of the particle absorption coefficient, and two-dimensional heat diffusion model, which describes the particle and the surrounding medium temperature evolution. Using this model the dependence of the achieved maximal temperature in the particles on the applied laser fluence and time evolution of the particle temperature is obtained.     

Chemisorption of iodine-125 to gold nanoparticles allows for real-time quantitation and potential use in nanomedicine

Gold nanoparticles have been available for many years as a research tool in the life sciences due to their electron density and optical properties. New applications are continually being developed, particularly in nanomedicine. One drawback is the need for an easy, real-time quantitation method for gold nanoparticles so that the effects observed in in vitro cell toxicity assays and cell uptake studies can be interpreted quantitatively in terms of nanoparticle loading. One potential method of quantifying gold nanoparticles in real time is by chemisorption of iodine-125, a gamma emitter, to the nanoparticles. This paper revisits the labelling of gold nanoparticles with iodine-125, first described 30 years ago and never fully exploited since. We explore the chemical properties and usefulness in quantifying bio-functionalised gold nanoparticle binding in a quick and simple manner. The gold particles were labelled specifically and quantitatively simply by mixing the two items. The nature of the labelling is chemisorption and is robust, remaining bound over several weeks in a variety of cell culture media. Chemisorption was confirmed as potassium iodide can remove the label whereas sodium chloride and many other buffers had no effect. Particles precoated in polymers or proteins can be labelled just as efficiently allowing for post-labelling experiments in situ rather than using radioactive gold atoms in the production process. We also demonstrate that interparticle exchange of I-125 between different size particles does not appear to take place confirming the affinity of the binding.     

Brownian diffusion of gold nanoparticles in an optical trap studied by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

The effect of thermal-induced Brownian motion on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in optical traps is studied by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) method. The Brownian motion and optical trapping potential are investigated by the decay time of the FCS curve and the laser power. It is shown that that the probability of finding a gold nanoparticle in the trap depends on the ratio of the optical energy of the particle to its thermal energy. A power threshold is observed by the decay time as a function of laser power. The experimental studies show that the temperature rise does not seriously affect the average number of particles in the focal spot, but the average residence time is more sensitively affected by the temperature.     

稀土纳米金对银染效果的影响及其UV-Vis吸收光谱

制备了La,Ce,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,Dy微粒和纳米金,分别用La,Ce,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,Dy微粒替代部分的纳米金,研究了La-Au,Ce-Au,Nd-Au,Sm-Au,Eu-Au,Gd-Au,Dy-Au微粒分别对银染效果的影响及其紫外可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱。与纳米金相比,La-Au,Ce-Au,Nd-Au,Sm-Au,Eu-Au,Gd-Au,Dy-Au微粒可延长银染后的斑点持续的时间,其中Nd-Au微粒的效果最好,斑点持续的时间为30 min,是纳米金的2.7倍;可大幅度加深斑点的颜色,其中Nd-Au,Sm-Au微粒的效果最好,用Nd微粒替代部分的纳米金,纳米金用量降低了80%,但还能提高银染法的灵敏度。在200～800 nm范围,La,Ce,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,Dy微粒和纳米金溶液的UV-Vis吸收光谱只有一个吸收峰,λ_max分别为275,277,276,276,278,277,278和521 nm;La-Au,Ce-Au,Nd-Au,Sm-Au,Eu-Au,Gd-Au,Dy-Au微粒混合液的UV-Vis吸收光谱有两个吸收峰,λ_max(RE)和λ_max(Au)分别为276和522 nm,276和522 nm,276和523 nm,276和523 nm,276和522 nm,276和522 nm,276和523 nm,纳米金和La微粒的吸收峰的波长发生了红移,Ce,Eu,Gd,Dy微粒的吸收峰的波长发生了蓝移,Nd,Sm微粒的吸收峰的波长不变,纳米金与稀土微粒可能有相互作用。     

All-optical controllable trapping and transport of subwavelength particles on a tapered photonic crystal waveguide

We propose that a tapered photonic crystal waveguide design can unify optical trapping and transport functionalities to advance the controllability of optical manipulation. Subwavelength particles can be trapped by a resonance-enhanced field and transported to a specified position along the waveguide on demand by varying the input wavelength. A simulated transport ability as high as 148 (transport distance/wavelength variation) is obtained by the waveguide with 0.1° tilted angle. Stable trapping of a 50 nm polystyrene particle can be achieved with input power of 7 mW. We anticipate that this design would be beneficial for future life science research and optomechanical applications.     

Manipulation of Nanoparticles Using Dark-Field-Illumination Optical Tweezers with Compensating Spherical Aberration

Based on our previous investigation of optical tweezers with dark field illumination [Chin. Phys. Left. 25（2008）329] nanoparticles at large trap depth are better viewed in wide field and real time for a long time, but with poor forces. Here we present the mismatched tube length to compensate for spherical aberration of an oil-immersion objective in a glass-water interface in an optical tweezers system for manipulating nanoparticles. In this way, the critical power of stable trapping particles is measured at different trap depths. It is found that trap depth is enlarged for trapping nanoparticles and trapping forces are enhanced at large trap depth. According to the measurement, 70-nm particles are manipulated in three dimensions and observed clearly at large appropriate depth. This will expand applications of optical tweezers in a nanometre-scale colloidal system.     

A simple GUI for modeling the optical properties of single metal nanoparticles

We present a graphical user interface, based on the modified long-wavelength approximation, to compute the optical properties of single metal nanoparticles of ellipsoidal geometry (spheres, rods, and disks). The user-friendly interface allows one to readily gauge the accuracy of results obtained using the modified long-wavelength approximation. For spherical particles, up to 10-nm diameter, we confirm that our approach yields an exact correspondence with Mie theory, and gives an approximation error of less than 15% for gold (silver) particles with diameters approaching 40 nm (26 nm). Results are shown to be sensitive to the source data for the optical constants for a given material. The modular nature of the simulation platform provides a quick and intuitive guide for optical characterization experiments.