Plasmonic Sensors and Actuators for Imaging Biological Microparticles and Nanoparticles
Label-free observation of dielectric (transparent) nanoparticles by far-field optical microscopy faces fundamental challenges in resolution and detection. Due to their physical dimension, nanoparticles are difficult to resolve when they are smaller than the diffraction limit. They are also difficult to detect because their ability to scatter light dramatically diminishes with decreasing size. Among various imaging techniques, those based on propagating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have shown promises and respective limitations. For instance, it is challenging to achieve diffraction-limited resolution in SPR imaging; its refractive index sensitivity is not as localized as desired. LSPR imaging is typically employed with dark-field microscopy on sparse noble metal nanostructures, leading to low light throughput and small imaging fill factor. In this paper, we demonstrate ultra near-field index modulated PlAsmonic NanO-apeRture lAbel-free iMAging (PANORAMA) that addresses existing issues for both SPR and LSPR imaging techniques. On one hand, PANORAMA can produce diffraction-limited lateral resolution free of the smearing effect in SPR imaging. PANORAMA also has higher surface sensitivity due to the LSPR decay length being shorter than that of SPR. Its system configuration is identical to a standard bright-field microscope using a trans-illumination tungsten-halogen lamp instead of a laser or other high-intensity light sources. Therefore, PANORAMA readily performs wide-field imaging over everything within the microscope objective's depth of focus with a single lamp source and a single camera. However, the intensity increases as the target becomes closer to the imaging substrate. On a separate front, PANORAMA addresses the sparse sampling issue in LSPR imaging by achieving dense sampling with a large imaging fill factor. The bright-field approach provides much higher light throughput compared to dark-field microscopy. Overall, our technique can provide a panoramic view both laterally and longitudinally – overcoming the lack of imaging depth for both SPR and LSPR imaging and the insufficient lateral sampling for LSPR imaging. We have demonstrated that PANORAMA can size single nanoparticle down to 25 nm, count individual nanoparticles in a cluster, and dynamically monitor single nanoparticle approaching the plasmonic surface down to the millisecond timescale.
App Type | Case No. | Country | Patent/Publication No. | |
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Inquire | National Phase | 2020-051 | United States | US-2023-0375541-A1 |