Jewelers, geologists, and microscopists all seem to agree that diamonds are forever. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are using microscopic nanodiamonds to calibrate and assess the performance of high-powered microscopes. Their longevity and durability make the tiny “first-aid kits” more than up to the task.
Advanced optical microscopy systems provide high-resolution views of samples. Developing a stable fluorescent nanodiamond phantom promises wide-reaching applicability for microscopy research and quality control alike.
“There is potential that this is going to become a standard calibration tool in fluorescence microscopy worldwide. This sample is so convenient, and so easy to use, that it is hopefully going to make a large impact,” said Mantas Žurauskas, an imaging research scientist for the GlaxoSmithKline Center for Optical Molecular Imaging at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, who led the research.
Fluorescent nanodiamonds are microscopic particles with small amounts of other chemical elements trapped inside as impurities. Žurauskas’ research establishes their efficacy for producing stable microscopic images.
“[They] are unique in the way that they do not bleach,” Žurauskas said. “Each time you look at them, they look the same. That’s very rare in fluorescence microscopy”
“There are changes each time you look at a fluorescent structure. As phantoms, I used fluorescent beads very often, these are like little beads filled with fluorescent dye. Each time you look at them, they are a bit dimmer. It’s really this fluorescence decay that is a big enemy in fluorescence microscopy,” Žurauskas said.
The stability of a calibration sample is fundamental to assessing the optical system’s day-to-day quality.
“It’s kind of a first-aid kit for a microscope,” said Žurauskas. “Ideally, we want to take the same object each time and see the same image.”
Image – Microscopy image of fluorescent nanodiamonds, a calibration tool developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with industry partner GlaxoSmithKline. The nanodiamonds’ longevity and durability make them a microscopic “first-aid kit” that stands the test of time. Courtesy of Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
https://illinois.edu/
