Precision improvement in dark-field microscopy imaging by using gold nanoparticles as an internal reference: a combined theoretical and experimental study.

Low accuracy is a big obstacle in the dark-field microscopy imaging (iDFM) technique in practical applications. In order to reduce the deviations and fluctuations in the observed or snapped scattered light in the iDFM technique caused by unavoidable measurement errors, bare gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were introduced as an internal reference (IR). The feasibility of using AuNPs as the IR in iDFM in theory was verified. The function of the IR in improving the precision of the acquired data through post data analysis was identified by three kinds of experiments: monitoring the oxidation process of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at room temperature, quantifying the level of glucose with AgNPs used as probes and quantifying the change in the light intensity of AuNPs after the plasmon resonance energy transfer (PRET) between AuNPs and tetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA).