Chapter 4

High-Resolution and High-Contrast Fluorescence Imaging with Carbon Nanomaterials for Preclinical and Clinical Applications

John Czerski

John Czerski

Single Molecule Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, USA

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Susanta K. Sarkar

Susanta K. Sarkar

Single Molecule Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, USA

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First published: 26 November 2018

Summary

This chapter reviews some of the most promising carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) for fluorescent imaging and their advantages, specific properties, and potential applications. It discusses fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) for visible wavelengths and carbon nanotubes for near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths in the context of biomedical imaging. The properties of FNDs and carbon nanotubes provide multiple pathways toward high-contrast fluorescent imaging, contrast for other imaging modalities, and functional imaging. Carbon nanodots can be separated into two main groups based on their composition, crystalline carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and amorphous varieties. FNDs have indefinite photostability, broad excitation, and emission spectra in the visible and NIR range, and magnetic field-dependent fluorescence emission. While there are a variety of fluorescent CNMs, the most promising for biomedical imaging are FNDs and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Carbon dots and FNDs are most used CNMs for imaging in the short-wavelength window.

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