Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) as contrast agent for imaging of animal tissue using swept source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT)

We present applicability of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) as a potential contrast agent for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging. A 1064 nm laser source was used in a swept source configuration capable of a scanning rate of 100 kHz (100,000 A-lines/s). Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography (SSOCT) is a variation of OCT, offering greater scan rates, higher resolution and signal-to-noise ratios. To enhance the contrast of an OCT frame, ZnO nanoparticles were used as an exogeneous contrast agent, which were fabricated using zinc acetic acid derivation and oxalic acid via precipitation. The particles were characterized using UV-vis Spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX). In-vitro imaging was performed on chicken breast tissue, with and without the application of ZnONPs. The contrast enhancements of the ZnONPs was determined at various time from the time of application, with calculation of the scattering coefficient and Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR).