materialsscienceandengineering: A new type of super-resolution chemical microscopyConventional exper
materialsscienceandengineering: A new type of super-resolution chemical microscopyConventional experiments in chemistry and biology study the behavior of the two, but it has been an abiding scientific challenge for scientists to observe, manipulate and measure the chemical reactions of individual molecules.In response to this challenge, Prof. Feng Jiandong from the Department of Chemistry of Zhejiang University has committed himself to developing interdisciplinary single-molecule techniques and instruments to observe single-molecule chemical reactions in solution. Recently, Feng and his colleagues have devised a novel technique for directly imaging single-molecule electrochemical reactions in solution with ultrahigh spatial resolution. This technique shows important applications in the fields of chemical imaging and biological imaging such as imaging microstructures and cells with nanometer resolution. The research finding is published as a cover story of the August 11 issue of Nature.In comparison with fluorescence imaging, electrochemiluminescence (ECL) imaging does not require the use of excitation light, so there is minimal background. ECL is an important tool in in vitro immunodiagnosis which requires ultrahigh sensitivity for resolving weak signals. At present, there are two major challenges in the ECL field. First, it is vitally important for single-molecule assays that ECL signals can be measured and imaged at weak or even single-molecule level. Second, it is of tremendous significance to chemical and biological imaging if super-resolution ECL microscopy—ultrahigh spatiotemporal imaging which breaks the optical diffraction limit—can be developed.Read more. -- source link