MRI: Development of Spectroscopic Imaging Optical Bottles for Analysis of Nanoparticles in Confinement

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0923299Ou-YangLehigh U.Technical Summary: As we enter into a world of nanotechnology, it is fundamentally important that we have the ability to characterize the material properties of nanoscale particles in their native environments. However, the currently available instruments are still limited in their abilities to quantify the properties of nanoscale materials because it is difficult to control and manipulate these particles due to their small size, Brownian motion, and the interactions with surfaces and among themselves. This project aims to develop an instrument that can control and manipulate multiple nanoparticles while their physical behavior and material properties are characterized. This project builds on a novel optical bottle method with an instrumental design suitable for in situ multiple optical diagnostics. The optical bottle formed by a focused laser beam can manipulate multiple nanoparticles in the size range of 10 to 200 nm, and confine them in a volume of approximately 1 micron cube. Because the polarization of the electric field in the optical bottle can be controlled in all three directions it is possible to manipulate particle orientations in the bottle. The instrument will be built on a laser scanning confocal optical microscope where optical manipulation, single and two-photon fluorescence imaging, spectroscopic analysis such as Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence will be integrated into a flexible optical workstation. The instrument will be constructed by, and used for, a multidisciplinary team from academia and industry. It will be used to address a range of scientific and technological issues, including nanoparticle sorting, separation and nanostructure assemblies of synthetic as well as biological nanoparticles. Through the involvement of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate young researchers and a K-12 outreach program, this project will educate a new generation of US workforce that understands nanoscale sciences, appreciates the potential of nanotechnology to the society, and is keenly aware of the impacts of nanotechnologies to the human health and our natural environments.Layman Summary: As we enter into a world of nanotechnology, it is fundamentally important that we have the ability to characterize the material properties of nanoscale particles in their native environments. However, the currently available instruments are still limited in their abilities to quantify the properties of nanoscale materials because it is difficult to control and manipulate these particles due to their small size, constant motion, and the interactions with surfaces and among themselves. This project aims to develop an instrument that can control and manipulate multiple nanoparticles while their physical behavior and material properties are characterized. This project builds on a novel optical bottle method with an instrumental design suitable for in situ multiple optical diagnostics. The optical bottle formed by a focused laser beam can manipulate nanoparticles that are more than a thousand times smaller than the thickness of a hair, and confine them in a volume a hundred times smaller than the tip of a sawing needle. The instrument will be built on a state-of-art optical microscope so the optical manipulation, optical imaging and advanced spectroscopic analysis of the confined nano objects can be performed in situ. The instrument will be constructed by, and used for, a multidisciplinary team from academia and industry. It will be used to address a range of scientific and technological issues, including nanoparticle sorting, separation and nanostructure assemblies of synthetic as well as biological nanoparticles. Through the involvement of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate young researchers and a K-12 outreach program, this project will educate a new generation of US workforce that understands nanoscale sciences, appreciates the potential of nanotechnology to the society, and is keenly aware of the impacts of nanotechnologies to the human health and our natural environments.