nl6b00502_si_001.pdf (4.17 MB)
Biocompatible Label-Free Detection of Carbon Black Particles by Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Microscopy
journal contribution
posted on 2016-04-22, 11:50 authored by Hannelore Bové, Christian Steuwe, Eduard Fron, Eli Slenders, Jan D’Haen, Yasuhiko Fujita, Hiroshi Uji-i, Martin vandeVen, Maarten Roeffaers, Marcel AmelootAlthough
adverse health effects of carbon black (CB) exposure are generally
accepted, a direct, label-free approach for detecting CB particles
in fluids and at the cellular level is still lacking. Here, we report
nonincandescence related white-light (WL) generation by dry and suspended
carbon black particles under illumination with femtosecond (fs) pulsed
near-infrared light as a powerful tool for the detection of these
carbonaceous materials. This observation is done for four different
CB species with diameters ranging from 13 to 500 nm, suggesting this
WL emission under fs near-infrared illumination is a general property
of CB particles. As the emitted radiation spreads over the whole visible
spectrum, detection is straightforward and flexible. The unique property
of the described WL emission allows optical detection and unequivocal
localization of CB particles in fluids and in cellular environments
while simultaneously colocalizing different cellular components using
various specific fluorophores as shown here using human lung fibroblasts.
The experiments are performed on a typical multiphoton laser-scanning
microscopy platform, widely available in research laboratories.