Organic Hyperbolic Material Assisted Illumination Nanoscopy

Resolution capability of the linear structured illumination microscopy (SIM) plays a key role in its applications in physics, medicine, biology, and life science. Many advanced methodologies have been developed to extend the resolution of structured illumination by using subdiffraction-limited optical excitation patterns. However, obtaining SIM images with a resolution beyond 40 nm at visible frequency remains as an insurmountable obstacle due to the intrinsic limitation of spatial frequency bandwidth of the involved materials and the complexity of the illumination system. Here, a low-loss natural organic hyperbolic material (OHM) that can support record high spatial-frequency modes beyond 50k(0), i.e., effective refractive index larger than 50, at visible frequencies is reported. OHM-based speckle structured illumination microscopy demonstrates imaging resolution at 30 nm scales with enhanced fluorophore photostability, biocompatibility, easy to use and low cost. This study will open up a new route in super-resolution microscopy by utilizing OHM films for various applications including bioimaging and sensing.

Automated summary

The resolution capability of SIM is crucial in various fields, but achieving resolutions beyond 40 nm at visible frequencies remains a challenge. This study introduces a low-loss natural organic hyperbolic material (OHM) that can support high spatial-frequency modes beyond 50k(0) at visible frequencies. It demonstrates imaging resolution at 30 nm scales with enhanced photo stability, biocompatibility, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.