Scientists coax gold particles to emit light strong enough to view single nanoparticles
May 25, 2005 | Source: KurzweilAI
Researchers have demonstrated that gold particles comparable in size to a molecule can be induced to emit light so strongly that it is readily possible to observe a single nanoparticle, using a technique called multiphoton absorption induced luminescence.
This could allow for tracking a single molecule of a drug in a cell or other biological sample.
Other advantages of the technique are that the gold particles can be prepared easily, have very low toxicity, and can readily be attached to molecules of biological interest.
In addition, the laser light used to visualize the particles is at a wavelength range that causes only minimal damage to most biological tissue, unlike ultraviolet lasers.