Photobleaching in Two‐Photon Scanning Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

Two‐photon excitation in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is often preferred to one‐photon excitation because of reduced bulk photobleaching and photodamage, and deeper penetration into scattering media, such as thick biological specimens. Two‐photon FCS, however, suffers from lower signal‐to‐noise ratios which are directly related to the lower molecular brightness achieved. We compare standard FCS with a fixed measurement volume with scanning FCS, where the measurement volume is scanned along a circular path. The experimental results show that photobleaching is the dominant cause of the effects observed at the high excitation powers necessary for good signal‐to‐noise ratios. Theoretical calculations assuming a nonuniform excitation intensity profile, and using the concept of generalized volume contrast, provide an explanation for the photobleaching effects commonly observed in two‐photon FCS at high excitation intensities, without having to assume optical saturation. Scanning alleviates these effects by spreading the photobleaching dose over a larger area, thereby reducing the depletion of fluorescent molecules in the measurement volume. These results, which facilitate understanding of the photobleaching in FCS and of the positive effects of scanning, are particularly important in studies involving the autocorrelation amplitude g(0), such as concentration measurements or binding studies using fluorescence cross‐correlation between two labeled species.     

Plasmonic Activation of a Fluorescent Carbazole–Oxazine Switch

The covalent attachment of a carbazole fluorophore to an oxazine photochrome permits the reversible activation of fluorescence under optical control. Ultraviolet irradiation with a pulsed laser opens the oxazine ring to shift bathochromically the absorption of the carbazole component. Concomitant visible illumination excites selectively the carbazole fluorophore of the photochemical product to produce fluorescence. The photogenerated and fluorescent species reverts spontaneously on a submicrosecond timescale to the initial nonemissive state of the carbazole–oxazine dyad. The photochemical and photophysical properties engineered into this particular molecular switch allow the convenient monitoring of plasmonic effects on photochemical reactions with fluorescence measurements. In close proximity to silver nanoparticles, visible illumination with a continuous‐wave laser also results in fluorescence activation. The metallic nanostructures enable the two‐photon excitation of the oxazine component to induce the photochromic transformation and then facilitate the one‐photon excitation of the photochemical product to generate fluorescence. Thus, these operating principles offer the opportunity to avoid altogether the need of pulsed ultraviolet irradiation to trigger the photochromic transformation and, instead, allow fluorescence activation with a single visible source operating at low illumination power.     

Zn-Al类水滑石的荧光性质

报道了一种新的Zn-Al类水滑石的荧光现象, 即在没有任何荧光物质插层的情况下, Zn-Al类水滑石本身就具有荧光性质, 其最大激发波长位于375 nm, 最大发射波长处于443 nm, 显示的荧光为蓝色可见光. 这一光学功能的发现将有助于类水滑石在光学材料领域中的进一步应用.     

High-contrast electrically switchable light-emitting liquid crystal displays based on α-cyanostilbenic derivative

Light-emitting liquid crystal displays (LE-LCDs), serving as emissive displays, are considered as promising alternatives to conventional LCDs because of their superior power efficiency. A dichroic fluorescent dye (Z)-2-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(4-(fluorophenyl)acrylonitrile (CN-AFAN) is synthesised, which exhibits strong fluorescence in the solution and solid states. Moreover, an electrically switchable optical switch based on CN-AFAN and a cholesteric liquid crystal is demonstrated, which combines the internal scattering of excitation light and the dichroism of CN-AFAN to improve fluorescence contrast. The photoluminescence and transmittance of the optical switch is modulated by an electric field between the planar state, focal conic state, and homeotropic state. The resultant device is cost-effective and easy to fabricate, thereby demonstrating immense potential for security and display applications.     

A simple light-emitted diode-induced fluorescence detector using optical fibers and a charged coupled device for direct and indirect capillary electrophoresis methods

We constructed a simple fluorescence detector for both direct and indirect CE methods using a blue light-emitted diode (470 nm) as excitation source, a bifurcated optical fiber as a waveguide, and a CCD camera as a detector. The connection of all the components is fairly easy even for nonexperts and the use of a CCD camera improves the applicability of this detector compared to the others using PMTs because it permits the recording of 2-D electropherograms or phosphorescence measurements. This detector provides a compact, low cost, and rapid system for the determination of native fluorescence compounds which have high quantum yields by CE with direct fluorescence detection, showing an LOD of 2.6 x 10(-6) M for fluorescein; the determination of fluorescence derivative compounds by CE with direct fluorescence detection, showing an LOD of 1.6 x 10(-7) M for FITC-labeled 1,6-diaminohexane; and nonfluorescence compounds by CE with indirect fluorescence detection with an LOD of 2.7 x 10(-6) M for gallic acid.     

发光二极管诱导荧光用于毛细管电泳检测

利用发光二极管作为激发光源，组装了用于毛细管电泳的荧光检测器。光纤用于传输荧光信号；光纤端面修饰成球形使耦合效率比平面端光纤提高了50．8％；光阑、光纤及毛细管检测池之间的光学校准简单、便捷。荧光素染料用于评价该体系性能，得到了fmol的质量检出限。     

Fluorescence Emission of Self-assembling Amyloid-like Peptides: Solution versus Solid State

Analysis of the intrinsic UV-visible fluorescence exhibited by self-assembling amyloid-like peptides in solution and in solid the state highlights that their physical state has a profound impact on the optical properties. In the solid state, a linear dependence of the fluorescence emission peaks as a function of excitation wavelength is detected. On the contrary, an excitation-independent emission is observed in solution. The present findings constitute a valuable benchmark for current and future explanations of the fluorescence emission by amyloids.     

Calibration and Limits of Camera‐Based Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: A Supported Lipid Bilayer Study

Camera‐based fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) approaches allow the measurement of thousands of contiguous points yielding excellent statistics and details of sample structure. Imaging total internal reflection FCS (ITIR‐FCS) provides these measurements on lipid membranes. Herein, we determine the influence of the point spread function (PSF) of the optical system, the laser power used, and the time resolution of the camera on the accuracy of diffusion coefficient and concentration measurements. We demonstrate that the PSF can be accurately determined by ITIR‐FCS and that the laser power and time resolution can be varied over a wide range with limited influence on the measurement of the diffusion coefficient whereas the concentration measurements are sensitive to changes in the measurement parameters. One advantage of ITIR‐FCS is that the measurement of the PSF has to be performed only once for a given optical setup, in contrast to confocal FCS in which calibrations have to be performed at least once per measurement day. Using optimized experimental conditions we provide diffusion coefficients for over ten different lipid membranes consisting of one, two and three constituents, measured in over 200000 individual correlation functions. Using software binning and thus the inherent advantage of ITIR‐FCS of providing multiple observation areas in a single measurement we test the FCS diffusion law and show how they can be complemented by the local information provided by the difference in cross‐correlation functions (ΔCCF). With the determination of the PSF by ITIR‐FCS and the optimization of measurement conditions ITIR‐FCS becomes a calibration‐free method. This allows us to provide measurements of absolute diffusion coefficients for bilayers with different compositions, which were stable over many different bilayer preparations over a time of at least one year, using a single PSF calibration.     

Analytical applications of a carbon nanotubes composite modified with copper microparticles as detector in flow systems

A simple microchip electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence device was constructed and used for separation and determination of catecholamines. On the fabricated glass chip, an extra optical fiber insertion channel, which was perpendicular and extremely close to the separation channel, was directly integrated by nothing operations more than design features on the photomask. The utilization of optical fiber to transmit the excitation light and the integration fiber channel make the fluorescence detection system simple and disposable. For electrophoresis, optimization of separation conditions was investigated for reaching high separation efficiency and sensitivity. A separation efficiency as high as 10⁶ theoretical plate numbers could be obtained for the analytes.     

Correcting for Spectral Cross‐Talk in Dual‐Color Fluorescence Cross‐Correlation Spectroscopy

Dual‐color fluorescence cross‐correlation spectroscopy (dcFCCS) allows one to quantitatively assess the interactions of mobile molecules labeled with distinct fluorophores. The technique is widely applied to both reconstituted and live‐cell biological systems. A major drawback of dcFCCS is the risk of an artifactual false‐positive or overestimated cross‐correlation amplitude arising from spectral cross‐talk. Cross‐talk can be reduced or prevented by fast alternating excitation, but the technology is not easily implemented in standard commercial setups. An experimental strategy is devised that does not require specialized hardware and software for recognizing and correcting for cross‐talk in standard dcFCCS. The dependence of the cross‐talk on particle concentrations and brightnesses is quantitatively confirmed. Moreover, it is straightforward to quantitatively correct for cross‐talk using quickly accessible parameters, that is, the measured (apparent) fluorescence count rates and correlation amplitudes. Only the bleed‐through ratio needs to be determined in a calibration measurement. Finally, the limitations of cross‐talk correction and its influence on experimental error are explored.     

A Spectrometric Setup for Synchronous Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Measurement at the Solid／Liquid Interface

A spectrometric setup of perform total internal reflection fluorescence(TIRF) and synchronous TIRF measurements at solid/liquid interfaces is presented. The combination of TIRF and synchronous fluorescence was proposed to analyze simultaneously different components at interfaces. The TIRF excitation,emission and synchronous spectra of a water-soluble porphyrin were obtained from water/glass interface using this setup without the existence of a surfactant.     

Development of high-resolution optical scanning fluorescence microscopy

Instrumentation of a high-resolution optical scanning fluorescence microscope is presented. This instrument provides a fluorescent image of the structural surface of various kinds of thin membrane samples with high resolution on the molecular scale. For this instrument, a new excitation optical tip and a three-dimensional scanning unit have been designed. The optical tip consists of a sharpened optical fibre covered with evaporated aluminium in vacuo, on which the top has a pinhole. The optical tip is mounted in the centre of a crosslinked piezoelectric scanning head. On thez-axis, a piezoelectric positioner is equipped with a differential micrometer mechanism. All operations are controlled with a micro-computer system.The scanning area in this instrument is 4000*4000 nm₂ for measurements of biological specimens. Several optical scanning microscopic images as well as the STM image are presented.     

A compactly integrated laser-induced fluorescence detector for microchip electrophoresis

A simple and easy-to-use integrated laser-induced fluorescence detector for microchip electrophoresis was constructed and evaluated. The fluid channels and optical fiber channels in the glass microchip were fabricated using standard photolithographic techniques and wet chemical etching. A 473 nm diode-pumped laser was used as the excitation source, and the collimation and collection optics and mirrors were discarded by using a multimode optical fiber to couple the excitation light straight into the microchannel and placing the microchip directly on the top of the photomultiplier tube. A combination of filter systems was incorporated into a poly(dimethylsiloxane) layer, which was reversibly sealed to the bottom of the microchip to eliminate the scattering excitation light reaching to the photomultiplier tube. Fluorescein/calcein samples were taken as model analytes to evaluate the performance with respect to design factors. The detection limits were 0.05 microM for fluorescein and 0.18 microM for calcein, respectively. The suitability of this simple detector for fluorescence detection was demonstrated by baseline separation of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled arginine, phenylalanine, and glycine and FITC within 30 s at separation length of 3.8 cm and electrical field strength of 600 V/cm.     

Monitoring dynamic systems with multiparameter fluorescence imaging

A new general strategy based on the use of multiparameter fluorescence detection (MFD) to register and quantitatively analyse fluorescence images is introduced. Multiparameter fluorescence imaging (MFDi) uses pulsed excitation, time-correlated single-photon counting and a special pixel clock to simultaneously monitor the changes in the eight-dimensional fluorescence information (fundamental anisotropy, fluorescence lifetime, fluorescence intensity, time, excitation spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, fluorescence quantum yield, distance between fluorophores) in real time. The three spatial coordinates are also stored. The most statistically efficient techniques known from single-molecule spectroscopy are used to estimate fluorescence parameters of interest for all pixels, not just for the regions of interest. Their statistical significance is judged from a stack of two-dimensional histograms. In this way, specific pixels can be selected for subsequent pixel-based subensemble analysis in order to improve the statistical accuracy of the parameters estimated. MFDi avoids the need for sequential measurements, because the registered data allow one to perform many analysis techniques, such as fluorescence-intensity distribution analysis (FIDA) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), in an off-line mode. The limitations of FCS for counting molecules and monitoring dynamics are discussed. To demonstrate the ability of our technique, we analysed two systems: (i) interactions of the fluorescent dye Rhodamine 110 inside and outside of a glutathione sepharose bead, and (ii) microtubule dynamics in live yeast cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe using a fusion protein of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) with Minichromosome Altered Loss Protein 3 (Mal3), which is involved in the dynamic cycle of polymerising and depolymerising microtubules.     

Development and Application of a Hydride Generation Laser Induced Fluorescence Method for Measurements of Bismuth

A hydride generation laser induced fluorescence (HG LIF) approach has been investigated for trace level measurements of bismuth. The technique uses a tunable dye laser operating at 306.7 nm as the excitation source and bismuth fluorescence is measured at 472 nm. The optimized HCl and NaBH₄ concentrations for bismuth measurements were 1.2 M and 2.0%, respectively. The current technique has a limit of detection of 0.03 ppb and 0.01 ppb for blank measurements performed with the laser tuned on and off the bismuth excitation wavelength, respectively. Measurements of bismuth in different sample matrices have demonstrated the effectiveness of thiourea and ascorbic acid as masking agents for measuring samples containing interfering ions. Measurements of bismuth have been performed in reference materials, a bismuth-containing medication, and tea leaves. The results demonstrate that the HG LIF approach has feasibility for measuring bismuth in various samples at environmentally relevant concentrations.     

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Aggregation‐Induced Emission Enhancement Controlled by Optical Manipulation

We present spatiotemporal control of aggregation‐induced emission enhancement (AIEE) of a protonated tetraphenylethene derivative by optical manipulation. A single submicrometer‐sized aggregate is initially confined by laser irradiation when its fluorescence is hardly detectable. The continuous irradiation of the formed aggregate leads to sudden and rapid growth, resulting in bright yellow fluorescence emission. The fluorescence intensity at the peak wavelength of 540 nm is tremendously enhanced with growth, meaning that AIEE is activated by optical manipulation. Amazingly, the switching on/off of the activation of AIEE is arbitrarily controlled by alternating the laser power. This result means that optical manipulation increases the local concentration, which overcomes the electrostatic repulsion between the protonated molecules, namely, optical manipulation changes the aggregate structure. The dynamics and mechanism in AIEE controlled by optical manipulation will be discussed from the viewpoint of molecular conformation and association depending on the laser power.     

微孔板发光二极管诱导荧光-表面活性剂增敏法测定盐酸小檗碱

研制了微孔板发光二极管诱导荧光分析仪,以发光二极管为激发光源,Y形光纤束传导激发光和荧光,采用平面型光敏二极管接收荧光.采用二维定位器移动微孔板,可实现对多个样品快速连续的测定.利用弱碱性介质中阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)对盐酸小檗碱荧光的增敏作用,在pH 9.0的Britton-Robinson缓冲溶...     

Nonperturbative theory for the optical response to strong light of the light harvesting complex II of plants: saturation of the fluorescence quantum yield

Recent progress in resolution of the structure of the light harvesting complex II provides the basis for theoretical predictions on nonlinear optical properties from microscopic calculations. An approach to absorption and fluorescence is presented within the framework of Bloch equations using a correlation expansion of relevant many particle interactions. The equations derived within the framework of this theory are applied to describe fluorescence saturation phenomena. The experimentally observed decrease of the normalized fluorescence quantum yield from 1 to 0.0001 upon increasing the intensity of laser pulse excitation at 645 nm by five orders of magnitude [R Sch?del et al., Biophys. J. 71, 3370 (1996)] is explained by Pauli blocking effects of optical excitation and excitation energy transfer.     

Photophysical Property of Photoactive Molecules with Multibranched Push-Pull Structures

The structure-property characteristics of a series of newly synthesized intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) compounds, single-branch monomer with triphenylmethane as electron donor and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole as acceptor, the corresponding two-branch dimer and three-branch trimer, have been investigated by means of steady-state and femtosecond time-resolved stimulated emission fluorescence depletion (FS TR-SEP FD) techniques in different polar solvents. The TD-DFT calculations are further performed to explain the observed ICT properties. The interpretation of the experimental results is based on the comparative stud-ies of the series of compounds which have increased amount of identical branch moiety. The similarity of the absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as strong solvent-dependence of the spectral properties for the three compounds reveal that the excited state of the dimer and trimer are nearly the same with that of the monomer, which may localize on one branch. It is found that polar excited state emerged through multidimensional intramolecular charge transfer from the donating moiety to the acceptor upon excitation, and quickly relaxed to one branch before emission. Even so, the red-shift in the absorption and emission spectra and decreased fluorescence radiative lifetime with respect to their monomer counterpart still suggest some extent delocalization of excited state in the dimer and trimer upon excitation. The similar behavior of their excited ICT state is demonstrated by FS TR-SEP FD mea-surements, and shows that the trimer has the largest charge-separate extent in all studied three samples. Finally, steady-state excitation anisotropy measurements has further been carried out to estimate the nature of the optical excitation and the mechanism of energy redistribution among the branches, where no plateau through the ICT band suggests the intramolecular excitation transfer process between the branches in dimer and trimer.     

Quantum-sized gold clusters as efficient two-photon absorbers

The two-photon absorption properties of Au25 cluster has been investigated with the aid of two-photon excited fluorescence in the communication wavelength region with a cross-section of 2700 GM at 1290 nm. Additional visible fluorescence has been discovered for small gold clusters which is two-photon allowed (after excitation at 800 nm), and the absolute cross-section has been determined for gold clusters with number of gold atoms varying from 25 to all the way up to 2406 using one and two-photon excited time-resolved fluorescence upconversion measurements. Record high TPA cross-sections have been measured for quantum sized clusters making them suitable for two-photon imaging as well as other applications such as optical power limiting and lithography.