(Invited) Photoswitchable Near-Infrared Emitters Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrids

Abstract

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) has set a new paradigm in the field of optical imaging by delivering images with resolution much better than the diffraction limit. We demonstrated over the last years that such approaches can be designed to understand basic excitonic processes in carbon nanotubes [1-2]. In the field of bioimaging, SRM is currently limited to the visible range, missing the near-infrared region where biological tissues are however the most transparent. One reason for this is that single-molecule photoswitchable emitters, which are the basic ingredients to achieve single-molecule SRM, have not yet been developed in the near-infrared. To fill this gap, we have recently introduced a novel type of hybrid nanomaterials consisting of single-wall carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized with photo-switching molecules that are used to control the intrinsic luminescence of the single nanotubes in the near-infrared (beyond 1 µm) [3]. Through the control of photoswitching, we demonstrate super-localization imaging of nanotubes unresolved by diffraction limited microscopy opening the route toward SRM in the near-infrared for biological applications. Photocontrol of individual near-infrared emitters will also be highly desirable for elementary optical molecular switches or information storage elements since most communication data transfer protocols are established in this spectral range.