Folic acid functionalized copper sulfide nanoparticles for the detection of ovarian cancer cells in flow

A photoacoustic flow system comprising:

• a flow chamber configured to support a capillary tube, the flow chamber including a window and a slot;
• a pump system coupled to the capillary tube, the pump system including a first syringe pump filled with air and a second syringe pump containing a sample, wherein the first pump injects the air into the capillary tube, and the second pump injects the sample into the capillary tube to produce two-phase flow with alternating air and sample through the capillary tube;
• an optical fiber coupled to a laser and configured to transmit light to excite the sample in the capillary tube;
• an ultrasound transducer coupled to the window in the flow chamber, wherein the ultrasound transducer detects acoustic signals generated by excitation of the sample;
• an inverted fluorescence microscope including a stage for supporting the flow chamber and a camera aligned with the slot in the flow chamber for imaging the sample as it passes through the capillary tube;
• and
• a data acquisition system configured to receive the acoustic signals from the ultrasound transducer and the images from the camera to reconstruct and display a photoacoustic image of the sample.