In vivo visualization: blinking nanostars

Gold nanostars will help doctors<url>
Scientists from Purdue University have created "blinking" gold nanostars.

These objects are proposed to be used to obtain high-contrast images in medicine and biology. The scientists' article will appear in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, and its summary (Twinkling nanostars cast new light into biomedical imaging) is provided on the university's website.

The size of the resulting stars is less than 100 nanometers. Their core consists mainly of iron oxide. Golden "rays" are attached to the core. The stars were placed in a rotating magnetic field, which caused them to spin. At the same time, as a result of rotation, the rays reflected the light falling on them in turn. As a result, there was an effect of "blinking", that is, periodic changes in brightness.

According to the researchers, the new system can be used to obtain images in medicine and biology. This is due to the fact that the "blinking" stars provide a very good ratio between the received periodic signal and external noise. As a result, researchers can isolate the signal coming from nanostars quite well, thus obtaining a very clear picture.

According to the researchers, the new method differs from the existing ones in its cheapness. In addition, scientists emphasize that the new technology is completely safe: rotating stars do not harm the insides of cells. In addition, the rate of brightness fluctuations is controlled with great accuracy by a magnetic field.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru23.07.2009