Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy for observing polymer structure in liquid crystal/polymer composites

Abstract

Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is a type of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy that allows nondestructive observation with nanometer-order resolution. However, there are few applications of STORM in the materials field, especially in non-aqueous samples, because there are no fluorophores that is suitable for STORM observation in non-aqueous environment, such as switching between fluorescent and non-fluorescent states with appropriate interval and lifetime. In this study, we observe polymer structures in liquid crystal/polymer composites fabricated using liquid crystal materials by labeling fluorophore for STORM (HMSiR) to the polymer structure and appropriately controlling the fluorescence property.