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Scanning near‐field optical microscopy using semiconductor nanocrystals as a local fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer source
Author(s) -
Shubeita G. T.,
Sekatskii S. K.,
Dietler G.,
Potapova I.,
Mews A.,
Basché T.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2818.2003.01143.x
Subject(s) - near field scanning optical microscope , förster resonance energy transfer , materials science , fluorescence , microscopy , optical microscope , optics , fluorescence microscope , substrate (aquarium) , scanning probe microscopy , optoelectronics , scanning electron microscope , physics , oceanography , composite material , geology
Summary Local fluorescence probes based on CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals were prepared and tested by recording scanning near‐field optical microscopy (SNOM) images of calibration samples and fluorescence resonance energy transfer SNOM (FRET SNOM) images of acceptor dye molecules inhomogeneously deposited onto a glass substrate. Thousands of nanocrystals contribute to the signal when this probe is used as a local fluorescence source while only tens of those (the most apical) are involved in imaging for the FRET SNOM operation mode. The dip‐coating method used to make the probe enables diminishing the number of active fluorescent nanocrystals easily. Prospects to realize FRET SNOM based on a single fluorescence centre using such an approach are briefly described.