Innovative, Custom-Built System Utilizes Princeton Instruments NIRvana® CameraSpinning-Disc Confocal Laser Microscopy for SWIR/NIR-II

Swiss Researchers Adapt Spinning-Disc Confocal Laser Microscopy to SWIR/NIR-II Wavelength Range

October 9, 2018

 Princeton Instruments, a world-renowned manufacturer of scientific cameras and spectroscopy equipment, is pleased to recognize the groundbreaking work detailed in a recent Scientific Reports article authored by the research group of Dr. Ardemis Boghossian (ISIC, EPFL). Collaborating with personnel from Nikon GmbH and CrestOptics SpA, the Lausanne-based research group has successfully employed a custom-built spinning-disc confocal laser microscope (SDCLM) to make high-resolution measurements in the SWIR/NIR-II wavelength range. The SDCLM incorporates a Princeton Instruments NIRvana ST camera whose cooled InGaAs detector delivers high-QE performance in this key region of the spectrum.

The Swiss researchers note that the SDCLM achieves better lateral resolution (~17% improvement) and axial resolution (~45% improvement) than the corresponding widefield configuration and still allows high frame rates. Use of the new technology for in situ spatiotemporal tracking of NIR particles and bioanalytes within synthetic as well as biological systems is also demonstrated.

For example, they show that carbon nanotubes can be precisely localized in chloroplasts. Monitoring nanoparticle movement in solvents enables the measurement of diffusivities, while using the SDCLM’s excellent vertical resolution permits glucose concentration measurements via nanosensors at different depths of a sample.

“The research being conducted by Dr. Boghossian and her colleagues lays the groundwork for establishing and expanding this technique to monitor the location and movement of nanoparticles and sensors,” observes Sebastian Remi, application scientist at Princeton Instruments. “We are delighted that our high-sensitivity, high-speed NIRvana ST camera is playing such an important role in their exciting work.”

Scientific Reports 8, Article number: 13770 (2018) is available online for those who would like to learn more.