Metasurface‐Enhanced Mid‐Infrared Spectrochemical Imaging of Tissues

Abstract

Label‐free and nondestructive mid‐infrared vibrational hyperspectral imaging is an essential tissue analysis tool, providing spatially resolved biochemical information critical to understanding physiological and pathological processes. However, the chemically complex and spatially heterogeneous composition of tissue specimens and the inherently weak interaction of infrared light with biomolecules limit the analytical performance of infrared absorption spectroscopy. Here, an advanced mid‐infrared spectrochemical tissue imaging modality is introduced using metasurfaces that support strong surface‐localized electromagnetic fields to capture quantitative molecular maps of large‐area murine brain tissue sections. The approach leverages polarization‐multiplexed multi‐resonance plasmonic metasurfaces to simultaneously detect various functional biomolecules. The surface‐enhanced mid‐infrared spectral imaging method eliminates the non‐specific effects of bulk tissue morphology on quantitative spectral analysis and improves chemical selectivity. This study shows that metasurface enhancement increases the retrieval of amide I and II bands associated with protein secondary structures. Moreover, it is demonstrated that plasmonic metasurfaces enhance the chemical contrast in infrared images and enable detection of ultrathin tissue regions that are not otherwise visible to conventional mid‐infrared spectral imaging. While this work uses murine brain tissue sections, the chemical imaging method is well‐suited for other tissue types, which broadens its potential impact for translational research and clinical histopathology.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 28, 2023
Source ID
10.1002/adma.202301208

Entities

People

  • Edward Chang
  • Filiz Yesilköy
  • Hongyan Mei
  • Keegan A. Schoeller
  • Kevin Eliceiri
  • Mikhail A Kats
  • Xinyu Zhao
  • Yuber Samir Sanchez Rosas

Organizations

  • National Institutes of Health
  • Office of Naval Research
  • University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Readers

  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Neuroscience
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.