Metallic Nanoparticle Manipulation using Optoelectronic Tweezers

We report on trapping of single and multiple spherical gold nanoparticles with 60 to 250 nm diameters using optoelectronic tweezers (OET). Thanks to the low optical intensities required for stable trapping (20 muW over 1.7 mum spot), we estimate the temperature increase in OET-trapped nanoparticles due to absorption to be DeltaT < 0.1degC, making OET-trapped nanoparticles suitable for biological imaging and sensing applications. In addition, we observe translational velocities of 68 mum/s and demonstrate trapping of both single and multiple nanoparticles in a single trap.