Hyperspectral and Nanosecond Temporal Resolution Widefield Infrared Photothermal Heterodyne Imaging

Label-free, bond-selective imaging offers new opportunities for fundamental and applied studies in chemistry, biology, and materials science. Preventing its broader application to investigating spatially- congested specimens are issues related to low sensitivity as well as low spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we demonstrate a widefield, mid-infrared (MIR) photothermal imaging technique, called widefield Infrared Photothermal Heterodyne imaging (wIR-PHI), that massively parallelizes acquisition of MIR absorption data through use of a high-speed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera. wIR-PHI possesses notable features that include: spatial resolution significantly below the MIR diffraction limit, hyperspectral imaging capabilities, high sensitivity, and ∼100 ns temporal resolution. The first two features are highlighted by hyperspectral imaging of proximally close poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles where clear, bond-specific imaging of nanoparticles, separated by less than the MIR diffraction limit, is demonstrated. Sensitivity is highlighted by imaging individual PMMA and PS nanoparticles with radii between r = 97–556 nm. This leads to a current, peak absorption cross-section limit-of-detection of σabs = 1.9 × 10–16 cm2. wIR-PHI's 100 ns temporal resolution is simultaneously demonstrated by observing the decay of photothermal contrast on individual nanoparticles on a ∼200–6200 ns timescale. In whole, wIR-PHI's dramatic increase in acquisition speed opens opportunities for future MIR kinetic imaging and spectroscopic studies of important chemical, biological, and material processes.