Abstract
Fluorescence imaging is capable of acquiring anatomical and functional information with high spatial and temporal resolution. This imaging technique has been indispensable in biological research and disease detection/diagnosis. Imaging in the visible and to a lesser degree, in the near-infrared (NIR) regions below 900 nm, suffers from autofluorescence arising from endogenous fluorescent molecules in biological tissues. This autofluorescence interferes with fluorescent molecules of interest, causing a high background and low detection sensitivity. Here, we report that fluorescence imaging in the 1,500–1,700-nm region (termed “NIR-IIb”) under 808-nm excitation results in nearly zero tissue autofluorescence, allowing for background-free imaging of fluorescent species in otherwise notoriously autofluorescent biological tissues, including liver. Imaging of the intrinsic fluorescence of individual fluorophores, such as a single carbon nanotube, can be readily achieved with high sensitivity and without autofluorescence background in mouse liver within the 1,500–1,700-nm wavelength region.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3027-3034 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Nano Research |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015, Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-5900-64092
Keywords
- biological imaging
- carbon nanotubes
- luminescence
- separations
- solar-photochemistry