Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ThermoRise (Rise of the 3rd dimension in nanotemperature mapping)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-07-01 bis 2023-12-31
Nanometre-scale devices capable of measuring temperature variations at a molecular level are valuable in both fundamental and applied science. For example, they can quickly measure micromachine overheating or the temperature inside of a cell. Although they hold tremendous promise for many applications, their 2D resolution has been a limiting factor against their more widespread use. The EU-funded ThermoRise project will provide a route against this barrier by developing local nanoprobes with tailored magnetic properties that will record critical information about local temperature in 3D. In particular, the nanoprobes will record the most relevant temperature information instead of reading the present temperature value. The project's achievements will widen the range of applications of nanothermometers, allowing temperature measurement in confined environments and in non-transparent media.
The last decades witnessed a quest for devices responding to temperature at a distance with unprecedented space resolution, approaching the nanoscale. Such devices are valuable in both fundamental and applied science, from overheat in micromachines to hyperthermia applied to cells. Despite great advances, the response is still collected in 2D. In real systems, heat flows in 3 dimensions such that 2D nanothermometers give just a plane view of a 3D reality. The restriction to 2D emerges because space resolution is bound to time and temperature resolutions, leading to a trilemma: scanning into the 3rd dimension is time consuming and cannot be achieve without losing temperature and time resolutions. While incremental improvements have been achieved in recent years, adding the 3rd dimension to nanothermometry is crucial for further impact and requires an innovative approach. Herein, I propose the development of nano local probes with tailored magnetic properties recording critical information about local temperature in 3D. These thermometric local probes avoid the resolution trilemma by recording the most relevant temperature information instead of reading the present temperature value. In many applications, including cellular hyperthermia, most part of the current temperature reading is of minor relevance and can be dropped. The key temperature information includes the maximum temperature achieved, the surpass of a given temperature threshold, and the time elapsed after this surpass. Once recorded, this key information can be read in 3D by standard devices (such as confocal microscopes and magnetic resonance imaging scanners) without time constrains and thus keeping a high space and temperature resolution. Moreover, the reading step can be performed in-situ and/or ex-situ, decoupling probes and reading devices if needed. This widens the range of applications of nanothermometers, allowing detection in confined environments and in non-transparent media.
The last decades witnessed a quest for devices responding to temperature at a distance with unprecedented space resolution, approaching the nanoscale. Such devices are valuable in both fundamental and applied science, from overheat in micromachines to hyperthermia applied to cells. Despite great advances, the response is still collected in 2D. In real systems, heat flows in 3 dimensions such that 2D nanothermometers give just a plane view of a 3D reality. The restriction to 2D emerges because space resolution is bound to time and temperature resolutions, leading to a trilemma: scanning into the 3rd dimension is time consuming and cannot be achieve without losing temperature and time resolutions. While incremental improvements have been achieved in recent years, adding the 3rd dimension to nanothermometry is crucial for further impact and requires an innovative approach. Herein, I propose the development of nano local probes with tailored magnetic properties recording critical information about local temperature in 3D. These thermometric local probes avoid the resolution trilemma by recording the most relevant temperature information instead of reading the present temperature value. In many applications, including cellular hyperthermia, most part of the current temperature reading is of minor relevance and can be dropped. The key temperature information includes the maximum temperature achieved, the surpass of a given temperature threshold, and the time elapsed after this surpass. Once recorded, this key information can be read in 3D by standard devices (such as confocal microscopes and magnetic resonance imaging scanners) without time constrains and thus keeping a high space and temperature resolution. Moreover, the reading step can be performed in-situ and/or ex-situ, decoupling probes and reading devices if needed. This widens the range of applications of nanothermometers, allowing detection in confined environments and in non-transparent media.
We have developed the first nanothermometers able to provide 3D temperature maps and we are exploring their use in vitro, where we simulate clinical laser hyperthermia. We have also developed nanothermometers able to record the maximum temperature achieved during a given laser hyperthermia procedure, bringing together the distinct fields of soft materials and magnetic recording. This involved work related to synthesis, characterization, optimization, toxicity assessment, and integration of different equipment to obtain the temperature maps.
We have obtained ratiometric temperature maps using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which are more reliable than the state of the art temperature variation maps. We have also shown how magnetic recording concepts can be implemented in the context of soft materials. Util the end of the project, we expect to show how to explore the developed concepts. We also expect to obtain 3D temperature maps with unprecedented temperature, time, and space resolution, able to be explored in a wide range of applications.