Nanoresolved infrared microspectroscopy for biological studies

Infrared nanoscopies, such as IR s-SNOM (scattering-type scanning near-field microscopy) and PTE (photo-thermal expansion microscopy), allow to overcross the diffraction limit imposed to far-field FTIR by exploiting the near-field approach.

This is done by combining the high chemical sensitivity of infrared spectroscopy in the mid-IR range with the nanoscale lateral resolution of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).

Structural information on fundamental biological components, including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, can be thus obtained together with topographic details with lateral resolution of a few tens of nanometers.

IR s-SNOM, in particular, is the ideal technique for characterizing cellular sub-components and bio-based nanocomposites with thicknesses down to a few nanometers.

Examples include protein self-assemblies, amyloid-like structures, DNA-based adducts for gene transfer, and drug delivery systems.

This seminar will cover the fundamentals of IR nanoscopy, with a focus on selected practical applications.

Speaker: Federica Piccirilli, RIT (Area Science Park)