title: Imaging Nanostructures by Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy in Organic Solvents.
abstract: The introduction of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRM) opened an unprecedented vista into nanoscopic length scales, unveiling a new degree of complexity in biological systems in aqueous environments. Regrettably, supramolecular chemistry and material science benefited far less from these recent developments. Here we expand the scope of SRM to photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) imaging of synthetic nanostructures that are highly dynamic in organic solvents. Furthermore, we characterize the photophysical properties of commonly used photoactivatable dyes in a wide range of solvents, which is made possible by the addition of a tiny amount of an alcohol. As proof-of-principle, we use PALM to image silica beads with radii close to Abbe's diffraction limit. Individual nanoparticles are readily identified and reliably sized in multicolor mixtures of large and small beads. We further use SRM to visualize nm-thin yet μm-long dynamic, supramolecular polymers, which are among the most challenging molecular systems to image.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MD, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aloi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MD, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vargas Jentzsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MD, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Neus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vilanova
authors.affiliation: Nanoscopy for Nanomedicine Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) , C. Baldiri Reixac 15-21, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Albertazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MD, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MD, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilja K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Voets