Optical and ultrasonic dual-sensitive sensor and its application in photoacoustic microscopy

Multi-modality imaging is significant for biomedical applications. We propose a dual-sensitive sensor to simultaneously detect optical and ultrasonic signals. Based upon the classical piezoelectric structure, we attach a photosensitive layer made of carbon nanotubes-polydimethylsiloxane (CNTs-PDMS) composite to the surface. The photosensitive layer absorbs light and converts it into ultrasound, while allowing acoustic energy to transmit through concurrently. After optimizing the ratio of PDMS to CNTs, we increase the sensor’s light detection sensitivity and maintain the ultrasound detection sensitivity. Finally, the successful implementation in mouse ear optical attenuation–photoacoustic imaging demonstrates the dual-sensitive sensor’s potential application in multi-modality imaging.