Narrowband photoblinking InP/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots for super-resolution multifocal structured illumination microscopy enhanced by optical fluctuation
Zhou Liangliang,
Cao Huiqun,
Huang Lilin,
Jing Yingying,
Wang Meiqin,
Lin Danying,
Yu Bin,
Qu Junle
Affiliations
Zhou Liangliang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Cao Huiqun
College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Huang Lilin
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Jing Yingying
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Wang Meiqin
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Lin Danying
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Yu Bin
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Qu Junle
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
Cadmium-free quantum-dot (QD) fluorophores can bridge the gap between the macroscopic and microscopic domains in fluorescence super-resolution bioimaging. InP/ZnSe/ZnS QD photoblinking fluorescent probes can improve the performance of reactive super-resolution imaging techniques and spontaneously switch fluorophores between at least two states (open and close) without depending on intense laser light and specialized buffers for bioimaging. Multifocal structured illumination microscopy (MSIM) provides a two-fold resolution enhancement in sub-diffraction imaging, but higher resolutions are limited by the pattern frequency and signal-to-noise ratio. We exploit the synergy between MSIM and spontaneously switching InP/ZnSe/ZnS QD fluorophores to further increase the imaging resolution. We demonstrate the experimental combination of optical-fluctuation-enhanced super-resolution MSIM using ultrasonic-oscillation-assisted organic solvothermal synthesis of narrowband photoblinking InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs. The InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs show a monodisperse grain size of approximately 9 nm, fluorescence quantum yields close to 100%, and full width at half maximum below 30 nm. The structural, electronic, and optical properties are characterized through experiments and first-principles calculations. The enhanced MSIM imaging achieves an approximate fourfold improvement in resolution for fixed cells compared with widefield imaging. The proposed InP/ZnSe/ZnS QD fluorescent probes seem promising for super-resolution imaging using MSIM.
