Antennas based near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) for protein imaging beyond diffraction limit

In recent years, super resolution microscopy has been rapidly applied in biological study. Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) is one of the most powerful optical super resolution microscopy that can be used for protein nanoimaging in living cells. Moreover, optical antennas have also been adapted to NSOM and greatly improved the performance of NSOM. In this mini review, the application of different optical antennas for NSOM has been described, and the use of NSOM for protein nanoimaging has also been highlighted.