Work

In Situ Identification of Nanoparticle Structural Information Using Optical Microscopy

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Diffraction-limited optical microscopy lacks the resolution to directly characterize nanoscale features of single nanoparticles. This paper describes how structural features of gold nanostars can be identified using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. First, we established structure-property relationships between categories of nanoparticle shapes and DIC optical images and then validated the correlation with electrodynamic simulations and electron microscopy. We found that DIC image patterns of single nanostars could be differentiated between 2D and 3D geometries. DIC images were also used to distinguish asymmetric and 4-fold symmetric structures and track nanoparticle orientation. Finally, we demonstrated how this wide-field optical technique can be used for in situ characterization of single nanoparticles rotating at a glass-water interface.

Source: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01191

Authors: Kayla S. B. Culver, Tingting Liu, Alexander J. Hryn, Ning Fang, Teri W. Odom

Institutions: Northwestern University, Georgia State University

Language: English

Topic: Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: G1031432798, Probing Cellular Membrane Processes by Single Particle Orientation and Rotational Tracking