Dark-Field Hyperspectral Microscopy for Carbon Nanotubes Bioimaging

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes have emerged as a versatile and ubiquitous nanomaterial, finding applications in industry and biomedicine. As a result, biosafety concerns that stimulated the research focused on evaluation of carbon nanotube toxicity. In addition, biomedical applications of carbon nanotubes require their imaging and identification in biological specimens. Among other methods, dark-field microscopy has become a potent tool to visualise and identify carbon nanotubes in cells, tissues, and organisms. Based on the Tyndall effect, dark-field optical microscopy at higher magnification is capable of imaging nanoscale particles in live objects. If reinforced with spectral identification, this technology can be utilised for chemical identification and mapping of carbon nanotubes. In this article we overview the recent advances in dark-field/hyperspectral microscopy for the bioimaging of carbon nanotubes.

Keywords

• optical dark-field microscopy
• hyperspectral imaging
• carbon nanotubes
• biodistribution assessment