Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Trapping and moving tiny particles using light

Abstract:
Researchers at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, have developed a technique to trap and move nano-sized particles in a fluidic medium using only light.

Trapping and moving tiny particles using light

Bengaluru, India | Posted on September 24th, 2019

In a recent study, PhD student Souvik Ghosh along with Prof. Ambarish Ghosh, at CeNSE have demonstrated a novel nanotweezer technology using focused laser beam to trap and manoeuvre a nano-sized silver disk, which in turn can attract and ensnare nanoparticles when light is shined on it.

The study was published in Nature Communications.

Tools that trap and manipulate microscopic objects using light — a Nobel Prize-winning advancement — have led to significant breakthroughs in diverse fields, from atomic physics to biology. These “optical tweezers”, however, are not efficient to trap particles that are nano-sized. This could recently be overcome with the invention of “plasmonic tweezers”, which can trap much smaller particles, such as viruses or quantum dots, at lower light intensities. They use metallic nanostructures such as gold or silver that generate a strong electromagnetic field around themselves when light hits them, which attracts and traps nanoparticles.

Plasmonic tweezers, however, have a limitation: unlike optical tweezers they are typically fixed at a spot and are only able to trap particles close to them. As a result, dynamic control over nanoscale objects in fluids remains challenging. In an earlier study published in Science Robotics, Ghosh and Ghosh managed to transport nanoscale cargoes with plasmonic tweezers integrated to magnetic nano-robots. However, due to this hybrid approach, those tweezers were not applicable for certain type of colloids such as magnetic nanoparticles. Additionally, the spatial resolution of the manipulation experiments was limited to the Brownian fluctuation of the nano-robot itself.



In the present study, the same team have come up with an advanced nanomanipulation technique that works on optical forces alone and therefore versatile in nature. The researchers have shown manipulation with magnetic colloids and even in biological buffer solution solutions. In their experiment, Ghosh et al have used a nanodisk made of silver as a plasmonic tweezer, and manoeuvred it using a focused laser beam that acted as the optical tweezer.



Earlier attempts to trap metallic nanoparticles in an optical tweezer needed high-intensity beams to hold the disk in place inside the colloidal medium. To overcome this challenge, the team fixed the silver nanodisk on top of a glass microrod to reduce its random movement. A low-intensity laser beam was then sufficient to trap and move the disk-rod hybrid inside the colloidal medium, capturing and carrying nanoparticles as small as 40 nm, along the way.

“The approach combines the strengths of two powerful tools called optical and plasmonic tweezers” says Souvik Ghosh. This unique “tweezer in a tweezer” approach could be used to precisely capture, transport and release particles such as nano-diamonds or quantum dots. As it uses low-intensity light, the approach would also enable non-invasive manipulation of fragile biological specimens such as bacteria, viruses and proteins, the researchers say.

“What we have achieved is the capability of manipulating very, very small particles, with much lower light intensity. This is important for things that can be damaged, such as living cells, or even non-living things where high-intensity beams can heat up the material,” says Ambarish Ghosh, an associate professor at CeNSE, IISc.



The demonstrated technology also showed manipulation of a collection of particles within the same colloidal medium. In addition, the researchers were able to simultaneously manipulate individual nanoparticles at different locations of the fluid and release them independently at desired places inside the fluidic chamber, a functionality that was not demonstrated before in the context of optical nanomanipulation.

The simplicity of the approach would allow the plasmonic tweezers to be integrated with advanced optical tweezer systems for large-scale manipulation and assembly of nanomaterials such as fluorescent nanodiamonds, quantum dot, nanocrystals etc. in standard lab-on-chip devices , they suggest.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Ambarish Ghosh
Associate Professor
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE)
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Ph: 080-2293 2442

Souvik Ghosh
PhD student
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE)
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Copyright © Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

REFERENCE: All optical dynamic nanomanipulation with active colloidal tweezers, published in Nature Communications, September 2019:

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanofabrication

New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed February 16th, 2024

Researchers develop technique to synthesize water-soluble alloy nanoclusters January 12th, 2024

Shrinking hydrogels enlarge nanofabrication options: Researchers from Pittsburgh and Hong Kong print intricate, 2D and 3D patterns December 29th, 2022

Scientist mimic nature to make nano particle metallic snowflakes: Scientists in New Zealand and Australia working at the level of atoms created something unexpected: tiny metallic snowflakes December 9th, 2022

Lab-on-a-chip

Micro-scale opto-thermo-mechanical actuation in the dry adhesive regime Peer-Reviewed Publication September 24th, 2021

RIT researchers build micro-device to detect bacteria, viruses: New process improves lab-on-chip devices to isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infection, viruses April 17th, 2020

Silicon-graphene hybrid plasmonic waveguide photodetectors beyond 1.55 μm March 13th, 2020

Moving diagnostics out of the lab and into your hand: Electrochemical sensor platform technology could enable portable, multiplexed, point-of-care diagnostics for a wide range of applications November 11th, 2019

Possible Futures

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Discoveries

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Tools

First direct imaging of small noble gas clusters at room temperature: Novel opportunities in quantum technology and condensed matter physics opened by noble gas atoms confined between graphene layers January 12th, 2024

New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses: The technique could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials November 17th, 2023

Ferroelectrically modulate the Fermi level of graphene oxide to enhance SERS response November 3rd, 2023

The USTC realizes In situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using single nanodiamond sensors November 3rd, 2023

Quantum Dots/Rods

A new kind of magnetism November 17th, 2023

IOP Publishing celebrates World Quantum Day with the announcement of a special quantum collection and the winners of two prestigious quantum awards April 14th, 2023

Qubits on strong stimulants: Researchers find ways to improve the storage time of quantum information in a spin rich material January 27th, 2023

NIST’s grid of quantum islands could reveal secrets for powerful technologies November 18th, 2022

Photonics/Optics/Lasers

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

HKUST researchers develop new integration technique for efficient coupling of III-V and silicon February 16th, 2024

A battery’s hopping ions remember where they’ve been: Seen in atomic detail, the seemingly smooth flow of ions through a battery’s electrolyte is surprisingly complicated February 16th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project