A nanoscaled contactless thermometer for biological systems

We report on a systematic approach to exploit the potential of filled carbon nanotubes (CNT) to act as sensors that might provide non-invasive temperature control in biological systems on a cellular level. In this case the temperature is detected by measuring NMR parameters on the filling materials. The beneficial feature of a carbon nanotube is to provide protection of both (i) a human body against toxic adverse effects from the filling material and (ii) a filling material against chemical and biochemical exposure. The feasibility of this concept has been demonstrated on the example of the temperature-dependent NMR frequency and relaxation time measured on the CNT filled with the appropriate sensor materials.