Individual Detection of Single-Nanometer-Sized Particles in Liquid by Photothermal Microscope

We have developed a thermal lens microscope for liquid-phase and surface microanalyses. By applying the thermal lens microscope to particle detection, we succeeded in detecting a pulsed photothermal signal from single-nanometer-sized particles in liquid and counting them individually. The samples were polystyrene latex particles (190 and 80 nm in diameter) and colloidal Ag particles (10 nm in diameter). To verify that the detected pulsed signals corresponded to the single-particle photothermal effects, we confirmed the items as described below using 190-nm polystyrene particles. First, no pulsed signal was generated under irradiation by either the excitation beam or the probe beam. Second, the pulse counts were proportional to the expectation value of the particles in the detection volume and zero for ultrapure water blank. Third, the pulse counts' distribution in a series of unit times had a Poisson distribution when the expectation value of the sample was much less than 1. Then, we demonstrated counting 80-nm polystyrene particles and 10-nm Ag particles in water. The pulsed signals were clearly distinguished from noise, and the signal-to-noise ratio was as large as 5. Finally, we discussed differences between the conventional thermal lens effect and the single-particle photothermal effect. Individual nanometer-sized particle detection by photothermal effect was the first demonstration.