Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA.
J Chem Phys. 2022 Aug 7;157(5):050901. doi: 10.1063/5.0086328.
Optical tweezers can control the position and orientation of individual colloidal particles in solution. Such control is often desirable but challenging for single-particle spectroscopy and microscopy, especially at the nanoscale. Functional nanoparticles that are optically trapped and manipulated in a three-dimensional (3D) space can serve as freestanding nanoprobes, which provide unique prospects for sensing and mapping the surrounding environment of the nanoparticles and studying their interactions with biological systems. In this perspective, we will first describe the optical forces underlying the optical trapping and manipulation of microscopic particles, then review the combinations and applications of different spectroscopy and microscopy techniques with optical tweezers. Finally, we will discuss the challenges of performing spectroscopy and microscopy on single nanoparticles with optical tweezers, the possible routes to address these challenges, and the new opportunities that will arise.
光学镊子可以控制溶液中单个胶体颗粒的位置和方向。对于单粒子光谱学和显微镜技术来说，这种控制通常是可取的，但具有挑战性，特别是在纳米尺度上。在三维（3D）空间中被光学捕获和操纵的功能纳米颗粒可以作为独立的纳米探针，为纳米颗粒周围环境的传感和测绘以及研究它们与生物系统的相互作用提供了独特的前景。在这篇观点文章中，我们将首先描述光学陷阱中微观粒子的光学力和操纵，然后综述不同光谱学和显微镜技术与光学镊子的结合与应用。最后，我们将讨论使用光学镊子对单个纳米颗粒进行光谱学和显微镜研究的挑战、解决这些挑战的可能途径以及由此产生的新机遇。
