Qlibri is developing QlibriNANO, the world’s most sensitive absorption microscope—a breakthrough tool that makes it possible to see and study materials at the tiniest scales, down to individual nanoparticles. This kind of precision opens up entirely new ways to explore and understand the building blocks of materials, with potential impacts across nanotechnology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.
Today’s microscopes often rely on glowing (fluorescent) dyes or powerful lasers to detect tiny objects. But these methods can be incomplete, expensive, or even damage the samples. QlibriNANO takes a different approach: instead of detecting light given off by a sample, it detects the light absorbed—something all materials naturally do. The challenge is that the absorption of a single nanoparticle is extremely small—until now, it was almost impossible to measure.
QlibriNANO solves this by using a special structure from quantum physics called a Fabry-Pérot resonator—a tiny cavity made of two ultra-reflective mirrors, where light bounces back and forth thousands of times. This dramatically increases the interaction between light and matter, making it possible to detect even the faintest signals. Qlibri has miniaturized this complex technology and built it into a fast, user-friendly microscope.
Through the QlibriNANO project, the team is working to:
• Test how well the microscope fits the needs of various industries like nanotechnology and optical coatings to find the application with the best product market fit
• Improve the speed, usability, and reliability of the system,
• Ensure it can be produced efficiently and affordably at scale.
By combining cutting-edge science with practical engineering, QlibriNANO brings a new level of visibility into the nanoworld—helping researchers and innovators develop the materials and technologies of the future.
