Fluorescent microbeads are widely used for applications in life sciences and medical diagnosis. The spectral contrast and sharpness of photoluminescence are critical in the utilities of microbeads for imaging and multiplexing. Here, we demonstrate microbeads capable of generating single-peak laser emission with a sub-nanometer linewidth. The microbeads are made of quantum dots that are tightly packed and crosslinked via ligand exchange for high optical gain and refractive index as well as material stability. Bright single-mode lasing with no photobleaching is achieved with particle diameters as small as 1.5 μm in the air. Sub-nm lasing emission is maintained even inside high-index surroundings, such as organic solvents and biological tissues. Feasibility of intracellular tagging and multi-color imaging in vivo is demonstrated.
Keywords: bio-imaging; colloidal quantum dot; ligand exchange; microbead; microlaser; multiplexing; stimulated emission.