Numerical study of changes in tissue optical properties before and after the administration of nanoparticles.

• Main Author: Wong, Sun Leng.
• Other Authors: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Nanotechnology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/48771
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Computer simulations have been frequently used in areas of research since guidelines for a real experiment could be obtained by from it, thereby saving both time and money. In this project, Comsol Multiphysics (COMSOL) was used to investigate the optical properties of nanoparticles of different sizes. In COMSOL, after entering various parameters and expressions, the scattering and absorption cross-sections of various sizes nanospheres can be simulated. Slight modifications are made to nanoparticles of different sizes to cater to simulations limitations, i.e., size of computer ram. These values will then be used to find out the scattering and absorption coefficients of nanoparticles at different wavelengths. In the past, people test ideas using trial and error, hence it is not only expensive but also time consuming. Comsol Multiphysics solves these problems by describing physics mathematically and thereby solving the mathematical problem. With computer simulations, new insights could also be gained and technologies that are too complex for analytical solutions, i.e., nanotechnology could also be better explored in-depth. Based on the simulated results, larger nanoparticles give a larger absorption and scattering coefficient. In addition, different nanoparticles have different absorption and scattering peak at different wavelength. Hence, if researchers are limited by the size of nanoparticles, results obtained in this paper can also be used to find the optimal wavelength. These results obtained are significant in helping researchers determine the best nanoparticle size and wavelength to use for treatment and imaging purposes.