Vibrational Energy Transfer from Photo-Excited Carbon Nanotubes to Proteins Observed by Coherent Phonon Spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study investigates how vibrational energy from photo-excited carbon nanotubes transfers to proteins, revealing that the transfer efficiency depends on the phonon density of states overlap, which is crucial for biomedical applications like photothermal therapy.

Contribution

It demonstrates the dependence of vibrational energy transfer on the phonon density of states overlap between nanotubes and proteins using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy.

Findings

Vibrational relaxation time varies with the structure of coupled proteins.

Energy transfer efficiency depends on phonon density of states overlap.

Radial breathing modes are key indicators of energy transfer dynamics.

Abstract

Vibrational energy transfer from photo-excited single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to coupled proteins is a key to engineer thermally induced biological reactions such as photothermal therapy. Here, we explored vibrational energy transfer from the photo-excited SWCNTs to different adsorbed biological materials by means of a femtosecond pump-probe technique. We show that the vibrational relaxation time of the radial breathing modes (RBMs) in SWCNTs significantly depends on the structure of coupled materials, i.e. proteins or biopolymers, indicating the vibrational energy transfer is governed by overlap of phonon density of states between the SWCNTs and coupled materials.