Technologies using nanorobots, comparable in size to small viruses, to repair tissues and heal wounds no longer belong only to the realm of science fiction. Nanomedicine is today a dynamic field of research focused on advances in the controlled transport of active substances into the body, the acquisition of chemical and physical information at the nanoscale, and the so-called imaging of these processes.
While advanced technologies for characterizing substances at the nanoscale have been successfully applied in the past in a variety of so-called “dry” applications, a fundamental challenge arises when studying biological systems. Biological systems naturally exist in an aqueous environment, which significantly complicates the use of nanoscale measurement and imaging technologies. Water absorbs infrared radiation, which is indispensable for these applications. Another problem is contamination of the measuring AFM tip with the given liquid.
To overcome these obstacles, we collaborated with scientists at LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) in Munich to develop a microfluidic, easily fillable liquid cuvette with an ultrathin (10-15 nm thick) SiN “shell” that enables measurements of biological systems fully immersed in aqueous solutions and other liquids. A specialized membrane in the cuvette fixes the sample in place (with the possibility of limited mobility) while remaining permeable to infrared radiation. This combination enables efficient measurement of infrared spectra at the nanoscale (the spatial resolution is determined by the tip size, typically around 10 nanometers).
This first complete solution for nano-IR measurements in liquid media was designed specifically for the neaSCOPE series of microscopes and opens up new possibilities for obtaining valuable information in biological and pharmaceutical research.
Recommended literature:
Sci Rep 11, 21860 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01425-w