title: Use of colloidal quantum dots as a digitally switched swept light source for gold nanoparticle based hyperspectral microscopy.
abstract: We propose a method to utilize colloidal quantum dots (QDs) as a swept light source for hyperspectral microscopy. The use of QD allows for uniform multicolor emission which covers visible-NIR wavelengths. We used 8 colors of CdSe/ZnS and CdTe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots with the peak emission wavelengths from 520 nm to 800 nm. The QDs are packed in a compact enclosure, composing a low-cost, solid-state swept light source that can be easily used in most microscopes. Multicolor emission from the QDs is simply controlled by digitally switching excitation UVLEDs, eliminating the use of mechanically-driven gratings or filters. We used gold nanoparticles as optical markers for hyperspectral microscopy. Due to the effect of localized surface plasmon resonance, gold nanoparticles demonstrate size and shape-dependent absorption spectra. Employed in a standard microscope, the QD light source enabled multispectral absorption imaging of macrophage cells labeled with gold nanorods and nanospheres.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, 260 Glenbrook Rd Unit 3247, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3247, USA.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712-0238, USA.
authors.forename: Pratixa P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712-0238, USA.
authors.forename: Gauri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bhave
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712-0238, USA.
authors.forename: Konstantin V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin, Texas 78712-0238, USA ; John.Zhang@engr.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: (110.4234) Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging; (160.4236) Nanomaterials; (170.0110) Imaging systems; (170.1530) Cell analysis; (230.3670) Light-emitting diodes; (300.6550) Spectroscopy, visible