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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Biomolecular Imaging of Cellular Uptake of Nanoparticles using Multimodal Nonlinear Optical Microscopy
Published on: May 16, 2022
Advanced Characterization Techniques for Nanoparticles for Cancer Research: Applications of SEM and NanoSIMS for
Paul J Kempen1, Chuck Hitzman2, Laura S Sasportas3
1Department of Material Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 496 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-4034 U.S.A.
Abstract:
The ability of nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to locate and analyze Raman active gold core nanoparticles (R-AuNPs) in a biological system is compared with the standard analysis using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The same cell with R-AuNPs on and inside the macrophage was analyzed with both techniques to directly compare them. SEM analysis showed a large number of nanoparticles within the cell. Subsequent NanoSIMS analysis showed fewer R-AuNPs with lower spatial resolution. SEM was determined to be superior to NanoSIMS for the analysis of inorganic nanoparticles in complex biological systems.
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