Exploring Single-Nanoparticle Dynamics at High Temperature by Optical Tweezers

Abstract

The experimental determination of the velocity of a colloidal nanoparticle (<i>v</i>_NP) has recently became a hot topic. The thermal dependence of <i>v</i>_NP is still left to be explored although it is a valuable source of information allowing, for instance, the discernment between ballistic and diffusive regimes. Optical tweezers (OTs) constitute a tool especially useful for the experimental determination of <i>v</i>_NP although they have only been capable of determining it at room temperature. In this work, we demonstrate that it is possible to determine the temperature dependence of the diffusive velocity of a single colloidal nanoparticle by analyzing the temperature dependence of optical forces. The comparison between experimental results and theoretical predictions allowed us to discover the impact that the anomalous temperature dependence of water properties has on the dynamics of colloidal nanoparticles in this temperature range.