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

技术总结：随着我们进入纳米技术的世界，我们有能力表征纳米粒子在其自然环境中的材料属性是至关重要的。然而，由于纳米粒子的尺寸小、布朗运动以及它们与表面和它们之间的相互作用，目前可用的仪器在量化纳米材料的性质方面仍然受到限制。该项目旨在开发一种仪器，可以在对多个纳米粒子的物理行为和材料性质进行表征的同时控制和操纵它们。本项目建立在一种新的光学瓶子方法的基础上，该方法具有适合于原位多光学诊断的仪器设计。由聚焦的激光束形成的光瓶可以操纵尺寸在10到200 nm的多个纳米粒子，并将它们限制在大约1微米的立方体内。因为光学瓶中电场的偏振可以在所有三个方向上控制，所以有可能操纵瓶中的粒子取向。该仪器将建立在激光扫描共聚焦光学显微镜的基础上，其中将把光学操作、单光子和双光子荧光成像以及拉曼光谱和光致发光等光谱分析集成到一个灵活的光学工作站中。该仪器将由一个来自学术界和工业界的多学科团队构建并使用。它将用于解决一系列科学和技术问题，包括纳米颗粒的分类、分离和合成纳米颗粒以及生物纳米颗粒的纳米结构组装。通过本科生、研究生和研究生年轻研究人员的参与以及K-12推广计划，该项目将培养新一代美国劳动力，他们了解纳米科学，认识到纳米技术对社会的潜力，并敏锐地意识到纳米技术对人类健康和我们的自然环境的影响。莱曼摘要：随着我们进入纳米技术的世界，我们有能力表征纳米粒子在其自然环境中的材料特性是至关重要的。然而，目前可用的仪器对纳米材料性质的量化能力仍然有限，因为这些粒子尺寸小，运动恒定，以及它们与表面和它们之间的相互作用，很难控制和操纵这些粒子。该项目旨在开发一种仪器，可以在对多个纳米粒子的物理行为和材料性质进行表征的同时控制和操纵它们。本项目建立在一种新的光学瓶子方法的基础上，该方法具有适合于原位多光学诊断的仪器设计。由聚焦的激光束形成的光瓶可以操纵比头发厚度小一千多倍的纳米颗粒，并将它们限制在比锯针尖端小一百倍的体积内。该仪器将建立在最先进的光学显微镜上，因此可以在现场对受限的纳米物体进行光学操作、光学成像和高级光谱分析。该仪器将由一个来自学术界和工业界的多学科团队构建并使用。它将用于解决一系列科学和技术问题，包括纳米颗粒的分类、分离和合成纳米颗粒以及生物纳米颗粒的纳米结构组装。通过本科生、研究生和研究生年轻研究人员的参与以及K-12外联计划，该项目将培养新一代美国劳动力，他们了解纳米科学，认识到纳米技术对社会的潜力，并敏锐地意识到纳米技术对人类健康和我们的自然环境的影响。

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.