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.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2886-2892 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 7 2018 |
Funding
This work was funded by NIH Grant 1R01GM115763. K.S.B.C and A.J.H. were supported by the DoD through the NDSEG fellowship (32 CFR 168a). T.L. was supported by NIH Grant 1R01GM115763. This work made use of the EPIC and BioCryo facilities of Northwestern University NUANCE Center, which has received support from the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NSF ECCS-1542205); the MRSEC program (NSF DMR-1720139) at the Materials Research Center; the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN); the Keck Foundation; and the State of Illinois, through the IIN. This work also made use of the NU Biological Imaging Facility. This research was also supported in part through the computational resources and staff contributions provided for the Quest high performance computing facility at Northwestern University, which is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research, and Northwestern University Information Technology.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry