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Luminescence-based detection methods, ranging from fluorescence spectroscopy for photophysical and mechanistic studies over sensing applications, chromatographic separation techniques and the microarray technology with fluorescence detection to fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, single molecule spectroscopy, and molecular imaging to integrating sphere spectroscopy, are among the most widely used methods in the life and material sciences. This is due to e.g., their unique sensitivity enabling the detection of single molecules, potential for multiplexing, ease of combination with spatial resolution, and suitability for remote sensing. Many of these advantages are closely linked to the choice of suitable molecular and nanoscale fluorescent reporters, typically required for signal generation. This includes organic dyes without and with sensor function, fluorophore-encoded polymeric and silica nanoparticles as well as nanocrystalline systems like semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion phosphors, emitting in the visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and IR (infrared). Current challenges present the environment sensitivity of most fluorophores, rendering fluorescence spectra, measured intensities/fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence decay kinetics matrix-dependent, and instrument-specific distortions of measured fluorescence signals that need to be considered for quantification and comparability of data, particularly fluorescence spectra.
Here, current applications of luminescence-based methods and different types of reporters will be presented. In this context, suitable spectroscopic tools for the characteri-zation of the optical properties of fluorescent reporters and fluorophore-encoded microparticles, analytical tools for the determination of the surface chemistry of different types of particles, and different multiplexing strategies will be discussed.
Hexagonal beta-NaYF₄ doped with 20 % Yb and 2 % Er is an efficient upconversion (UC) phosphor for the conversion of 976 nm to 845 nm, 655 nm and 540 nm light. The emission behavior of this material is strongly influenced by the particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment. Especially the design of nm-sized UC particles for bioanalytical applications requires reliable spectroscopic tools for the characterization of the optical properties of these materials like the UC quantum yield (QYUC) in aqueous media. The UC emission originates from multiphotonic absorption processes, rendering the QYUC excitation power density (P) dependent. The P-dependent absolute measurement of QYUC in aqueous media with an excitation wavelength of 976 nm presents a considerable challenge due to the low absorption coefficients of the UC materials and the absorption of water at this wavelength.
Here, we present the P-dependent QYUC of 21 nm, 26 nm and 31 nm-sized NaYF₄ UC particles dispersed in cyclohexane and aqueous solutions, in view of bioanalytical applications. To gain a better insight of the photonic nature of the upconversion mechanism and the quenching processes involved, the luminescence decay behavior as well as the P-dependent red-to-green luminescence intensity ratios and slope factors of the different emission bands are studied in both solvents. These results present an important step to the rational design of brighter upconversion nanoparticles.
Due to their unique physical properties, particularly their electronic and luminescent properties, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are expected to be suitable for a wide range of applications in bioimaging, electro-optical and photonic materials or energy harvesting among others.1 Tuning the surface chemistry provides an efficient approach to modulate the fluorescence and distinct electronic properties of GQDs.2 Nevertheless, the role of surface chemistry on the electronic structure of GQDs remains poorly understood. In this presentation, we will compare systematically the electronic and chemical structures of GQDs functionalized with carboxylic and aminated groups to those of non-functionalized GQDs, combining theoretical and experimental approaches, here various photon-based spectroscopies. First, the electronic structure of GQDs was characterized by soft X-ray absorption (XA) and X-ray emission (XE) spectroscopies, probing unoccupied and occupied electronic states, respectively, at the carbon K edge for the first time. The interpretation of the XA/XE spectra was done based on theoretical calculations. Then, the chemical structure of the GQDs was characterized in situ by ATR-FTIR in water, thereby accounting for the importance of the interface between GQDs and water believed to play a central role in the chemical reactivity and the optical properties. We previously demonstrated that monitoring the OH vibrations of water molecules during exposure to humid air was a powerful method to probe H-bonding environment around carbon nanomaterials.3 For GQDs, clear surface-dependent water adsorption profiles are observed and discussed. Finally, UV/Vis absorption and photoluminescence measurements were done to characterize the optical properties of these GQDs. Our results suggest that the surface chemistry of the GQDs affects significantly their electronic structure and optical properties. These findings will contribute to an improved understanding of the structure–activity relationship of GQDs and other carbon nanomaterials with surface modifications.
An increasing number of (bio)analytical techniques rely on multiparametric analyses and the measurement of a very small number of emitters. While the former implies encoding or labeling by means of easily distinguishable properties like luminescence color or lifetime in conjunction with high-throughput optical-spectroscopic methods such as flow cytometry, the latter requires methods suitable for the characterization of the optical properties of single emitters. Here, we present the use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) for the relative determination of the key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield [5] and first results from flow cytometry measurements in the time-domain with a custom-designed instrument with luminescence lifetime analysis capability.
Bioanalytical, diagnostic, and security applications require the fast and sensitive determination of a steadily increasing number of analytes or events in parallel in a broad variety of detection formats.[1,2] Ideal candidates for spectral encoding and multiplexing schemes are luminescent nanocrystals like semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), particularly Cd-containing II/VI QDs with their narrow and symmetric emission bands. With the availability of relatively simple and inexpensive instrumentation for time-resolved fluorescence measurements, similar strategies utilizing the compound-specific parameter fluorescence lifetime or fluorescence decay kinetics become increasingly attractive.[3-5] The potential of different types of QDs like II/VI, III/V and Cd-free ternary QDs such as AgInS (AIS) QDs for lifetime-based encoding and multiplexing has been, however, barely utilized, although the lifetimes of these nanocrystals cover a time windows which is barely accessible with other fluorophores. Here we present a brief insight into the photophysics of AIS QDs and show the potential of dye- and QD-encoded beads for lifetime-based encoding and detection schemes in conjunction with flow cytometry and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
Photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences require bright molecular and nanocrystalline emitters, stimuli-responsive optical probes, signal enhancement, multiplexing, and barcoding strategies and traceable methods to quantify the signal-relevant optical properties of luminescent materials at the ensemble and single molecule/particle level. In this context, current research at Division Biophotonics of BAM is presented ranging from dye and nanocrystal photophysics, absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yields in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR, lifetime multiplexing, and the development of different types of fluorescence standards for validating optical-spectroscopic measurements.
Applications of luminescent nanomaterials like semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) and lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs) in the life sciences such as bioimaging studies or their use as reporter in assays call for a correlation of the photoluminescence (PL) properties of these nanomaterials on ensemble and single particle levels. This is particularly relevant within the context of continuously decreasing detection limits. Aiming at optimum nanomaterials for spectroscopic and microscopic applications, we examine the optical properties of QDs like II/VI QDs and cadmium-free AgInS2/ZnS QDs (AIS/ZnS) and UCNPs of different chemical composition, size, and particle architecture for ensembles and single particles. This includes PL spectra, PL quantum yields (ΦF), brightness values, blinking behavior, and PL decay kinetics. For UCNPs with their nonlinear spectrally converted PL excited by sequential multiphoton absorption, these measurements were also done as a function of excitation power density (P). Special emphasis is dedicated to the performance parameters ΦF and brightness, that determine signal size and provide a measure for nanocrystal quality.[1-5]
Systematic studies of the excitation energy dependence (EED) [6] of the PL properties of II/VI and ternary AgInS2/ZnS QDs reveal the potential of this relatively simple method for providing insights into the electronic energy structure of QDs. The intrinsic nature of the inhomogeneous broadening of the PL bands of AIS/ZnS QDs was confirmed by single particle spectroscopy.[5] By combining P-dependent integration spectroscopy and single particle measurements of UCNPs, using a new custom-made setup, consisting of different lasers, an inverted microscope, different detectors, and an AFM, we could study the P-dependent optical properties of these nonlinear emitters from ~10 W/cm2 up to ~105 W/cm2. These results provide optimum dopant ion concentrations for bioanalytical, spectroscopic, and microscopic applications of UCNP.
Acknowledgement. Financial support by grants RE1203/12-3 and RE1203/20-1 (support of F. Weigert, L. Dhamo, and F. Frenzel) from German Research Council (DFG) is acknowledged.
Two nanosensors for simultaneous optical measurements of temperature (“T”), oxygen (“O”), and pH (“P”) have been designed. These “TOP” nanosensors are based on 100 nm-sized silica-coated polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) doped with the near infrared emissive oxygen- and temperature-sensitive chromium(III) complex ([Cr(ddpd)2][BPh4]3 CrBPh4)[1][2] and an inert reference fluorescence dye (Nile Red NR or 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin TFPP) and are covalently labeled with the pH-sensitive fluorophore fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). These emitters can be excited at the same wavelength and reveal distinguishable emission spectra suitable for ratiometric intensity-based and time-resolved studies in the visible and near infrared spectral region. The core-shell nanostructure of these sensors reveals high colloidal stability in various aqueous media. Studies in PBS buffer solutions and in a model body liquid demonstrate the applicability of the TOP nanosensors for optically detecting the three bioanalytically and biologically relevant analytes temperature, oxygen and pH simultaneously at the same position.
Spectral encoding of cells or particles and the discrimination of multiple spectral codes are a critical process in flow cytometry (FCM). Typical issues in spectral encoding are, e.g., the spectral overlap of codes, or the increasing complexity of instruments . The exploitation of the photoluminescence lifetime (LT) as an encoding parameter could be used to circumvent both of these issues, as it adds another dimension to the parameter space, or, when used as a stand-alone parameter, requiring only one excitation light source and one detector. While LT encoding was considered already decades ago it is still not implemented as a routine technique in FCM yet, mainly due to the challenge of very few photons being available within the limited transition time of a cell or particle through the laser spot.
Recently, we demonstrated LT-FCM based on luminophores with ns LTs in a compact and low-cost flow cytometer. Measurements on polymer microbeads containing luminophores with distinctly different excited state LTs enabled the complete discrimination of three LT codes and five codes in total could be identified.
Now, we have extended our approach towards considerably longer LTs by custom-made polymer microbeads loaded with different ratios of InP/ZnS and AgInS2 quantum dots. The use of these materials significantly expands the usable time range for LT encoding to up to several hundred ns. Our studies demonstrate the possibility to further increase the number of viable LT codes for multiplexing in LT-FCM without the need for extensive hardware modifications.