LSPR Imaging: Simultaneous Single Nanoparticle Spectroscopy and Diffusional Dynamics

A wide-field localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) imaging method using a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) is used to measure the scattering spectra of multiple Ag nanoparticles in parallel. This method provides the ability to characterize moving Ag nanoparticles by measuring the scattering spectra of the particles while simultaneously tracking their motion. Consequently, single particle diffusion coefficients can be determined. As an example, several single Ag nanoprisms are tracked, the LSPR scattering spectrum of each moving particle is obtained, and the single particle diffusion coefficient is determined from its trajectory. Coupling diffusion information with spectral information in real time is a significant advance and addresses many scientific problems, both fundamental and biological, such as cell membrane protein diffusion, functional plasmonic distributions, and nanoparticle growth mechanisms.