title: Scanning near-field optical microscopy using semiconductor nanocrystals as a local fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer source.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique de la Matière Condensée, Université de Lausanne, BSP, CH1015 Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Shubeita
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sekatskii
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dietler
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Potapova
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mews
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Basché