Output details
15 - General Engineering
Heriot-Watt University (joint submission with University of Edinburgh)
Quantum dot based thermal spectroscopy and imaging of optically trapped micro-spheres and single cells
Quantum dot nanocrystals used to measure the temperature change in microfluidic samples, and within living cells, exposed to a focused laser beam. Results show i) nanocrystals are remote temperature sensors for difficult to access, microlitre to femtolitre volumes; ii) heating rates due to laser wavelengths commonly used in optical trapping; iii) optimum wavelength for trapping biological samples to avoid photothermal damage. The work was an invited talk at Optical Trapping and Optical Manipulation X at SPIE Optics and Photonics 2013, and is being developed to understand intracellular thermogenesis and heating within waveguide traps.