Orientation tomography of lanthanide-doped nanoprobes by polarization-resolved micro-spectroscopy
Abstract
Quantifying three-dimensional (3D) orientation is critical for understanding self-assembly and collective behavior in soft matter and biological systems. Moreover, orientational analysis of anisotropic particles can characterize locally applied forces in fluids. We present a methodology for 3D orientation tomography based on polarization-resolved spectroscopy of lanthanide-doped nanorods exhibiting multiple emission dipoles, enabling 3D orientation measurements from a single viewing angle. We develop a confocal imaging setup optimized for lanthanide luminescence and a theoretical framework to extract both the local director and order parameter in nanorod assemblies. The technique achieves 0.5 μm lateral and 1 μm axial spatial resolution and is demonstrated in dense nematic liquid-crystal assemblies, resolving complex 3D topological structures, and in microfluidic flows, mapping alignment under hydrodynamic shear. This approach provides a versatile platform for quantitative studies of collective orientation, self-assembly mechanics, and alignment induced by external forces, and can be extended to other lanthanide-labeled particles and molecular probes.
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BibTeX
@article{magermans2026orientation,
title = {{Orientation tomography of lanthanide-doped nanoprobes by polarization-resolved micro-spectroscopy}},
author = {Lilian Magermans and Marcello Bonetti and Thierry Gacoin and Jongwook Kim},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78323-0},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78323-0},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Orientation tomography of lanthanide-doped nanoprobes by polarization-resolved micro-spectroscopy
AU - Lilian Magermans
AU - Marcello Bonetti
AU - Thierry Gacoin
AU - Jongwook Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78323-0
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78323-0
AB - Quantifying three-dimensional (3D) orientation is critical for understanding self-assembly and collective behavior in soft matter and biological systems. Moreover, orientational analysis of anisotropic particles can characterize locally applied forces in fluids. We present a methodology for 3D orientation tomography based on polarization-resolved spectroscopy of lanthanide-doped nanorods exhibiting multiple emission dipoles, enabling 3D orientation measurements from a single viewing angle. We develop a confocal imaging setup optimized for lanthanide luminescence and a theoretical framework to extract both the local director and order parameter in nanorod assemblies. The technique achieves 0.5 μm lateral and 1 μm axial spatial resolution and is demonstrated in dense nematic liquid-crystal assemblies, resolving complex 3D topological structures, and in microfluidic flows, mapping alignment under hydrodynamic shear. This approach provides a versatile platform for quantitative studies of collective orientation, self-assembly mechanics, and alignment induced by external forces, and can be extended to other lanthanide-labeled particles and molecular probes.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -