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Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Super-Resolution Optical 

Imaging of Biomass 

Chemical-Spatial Structure 

Cooperative Research and Development 

Final Report

CRADA Number: CRD-10-410

NREL Technical Contact: Shi-You Ding

CRADA Report

NREL/TP-7A10-58461

June 2013
NOTICE

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Cover Photos: (left to right) photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 16416, photo from SunEdison, NREL 17423, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 

16560, photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 17613, photo by Dean Armstrong, NREL 17436, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 17721.

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1 

This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Cooperative Research and Development Final Report

In accordance with Requirements set forth in Article XI.A(3) of the CRADA document, this document is 

the final CRADA report, including a list of Subject Inventions, to be forwarded to the Office of Science 

and Technical Information as part of the commitment to the public to demonstrate results of federally 

funded research.

CRADA Number: CRD-10-410

CRADA Title: Super-resolution Optical Imaging of Biomass Chemical-Spatial Structure

Parties to the Agreement: Colorado School of Mines

Joint Work Statement Funding Table showing DOE commitment: 

Estimated Costs NREL Shared Resources

Year 1 $ 53,229.00

Year 2 $ 8,000.00

Year 3 $ 00.00

TOTALS $ 61,229.00

Abstract of CRADA work: 

The overall objective for this project is to characterize and develop new methods to visualize the chemical 

spatial structure of biomass at varying stages of the biomass degradation processes in situ during the 

process.

Summary of Research Results: 

A novel nonlinear imaging technology was developed and demonstrated. This is the first microscope

capable of simultaneously imaging with single-element detection multiple focal spots and multiple 

multiphoton modalities. The resulting new methods of nonlinear visualization were reported in the 

following peer-reviewed publications:

E. Hoover, J. Field, D. Winters, M.Young, E. Chandler, J. Speirs, J. Lapenna, S. Kim, S. Ding, J. Wang, 

R. Bartels, J. Squier, “Eliminating the scattering ambiguity in multifocal, multimodal, multiphoton 

imaging systems,” J. of Biophotonics, 5, No. 5–6, 425–436 (2012). 

J. Field, K. Sheetz, E. Chandler, E. Hoover, M. Young, S. Ding, A. Sylvester, D. Kleinfeld, J.A. Squier, 

“Differential Multiphoton Microscopy,” IEEE JQE, invited paper, 99,1-15 (2011)

The work was presented at an invitational presentation: 

Jeff Squier, “Eliminating the scattering ambiguity in multitifocal multiphoton imaging systems,” 

invitational, Telluride Workshop, “New Frontiers and Grand Challenges in Laser-based Biological

Microscopy,” August 1-4, 2011.
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This report is available at no cost from the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Subject Inventions Listing: n/a

Report Date: 4/4/2013 Responsible Technical Contact at Alliance/NREL: Shi-You Ding

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