Custom-Made Microspheres for Optical Tweezers.

Due to their high position and force sensitivity and the ability to remotely apply forces and torques, optical tweezers are widely used in diverse fields, such as biology, material science, and physics. Often, small dielectric particles are trapped and used as probes, which for experimental convenience are mostly spherical and composed of silica or polystyrene. The optical properties of these materials together with the microsphere size determine the trapping efficiency, and the position and force resolution. However, using only a single, homogeneous, isotropic, and unstructured material limits the range of trapping properties and thereby the applications of optical tweezers. Here, we show how custom-made microspheres composed of coated high-refractive-index materials-titania and nanodiamonds-and birefringent, liquid crystals extend the range and combination of desired trapping properties. These custom-made microspheres either enable the generation of high forces, a high force or time resolution, or the applications of torques. Custom-made probes expand the range of possible experiments and approaches broadening the scope and applicability of optical tweezers.