NSF-EC Activity: Integration of New Hybrid Materials Containing Biomolecules for the Fabrication of Optical Sensor Systems

该提案是亚利桑那大学光学科学中心（OSC）、加州大学洛杉矶分校材料科学与工程系和欧盟研究人员之间的跨学科、合作和国际项目。该项目旨在创造和开发材料、制造工艺和组件，以展示一种集成的光电片上系统，能够对化学和生物制剂进行多功能传感。加州大学洛杉矶分校的研究涉及到掺杂生物分子的溶胶-凝胶玻璃的开发，这种玻璃可以用作光化学换能器，利用抗体和酶的敏感性和选择性。通过光学方法可以监测包封生物分子的化学和生化变化。该研究将包括基于混合有机/无机材料的光源、光电探测器和微光学系统的开发。学生们将获得的不仅仅是“接触”，因为他们将获得在材料合成、加工、光谱学、设备制造和操作以及系统集成等领域的实践经验。这次合作的跨学科性质也将使学生对混合光学材料的合成-性质关系及其在化学和生物传感中的应用有一个基本的了解。该提案是一个跨学科、合作和国际项目，旨在创造和开发材料、制造工艺和组件，以展示能够感知化学和生物制剂的集成光电片上系统。该项目由两个部分组成：(1)研究和开发基于生物分子溶胶-凝胶封装的化学和生物医学传感材料；(2)研究和开发利用传感材料光学特性的光学传感技术。该项目将为参与的本科生和研究生研究人员提供强大的教育效益，并使他们在世界经济中具有竞争力。研究的广度和我们提出的国际培训计划将确保学生不仅成为自己专业领域的专家，而且他们还将对整个传感器系统有详细的了解。学生的知识将包括基本的化学和物理科学以及传感器和光学系统的工程，以及器件制造的现实。该项目由数学和物理科学理事会（多学科事务厅、材料研究司、化学司）和工程理事会（化学和运输系统司）共同资助。

This proposal is an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and international program between the University of Arizona Optical Sciences Center (OSC), the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA, and European-Union researchers. The program is directed at creating and developing the materials, the fabrication processes, and the components needed to demonstrate an integrated, optoelectronic system-on-a-chip capable of multifunctional sensing of chemical and biological agents. The UCLA research involves the development of sol-gel glasses doped with biomolecules that can be used as opto-chemical transducers that exploit the sensitivity and selectivity of antibodies and enzymes. The chemical and biochemical changes of the encapsulated biomolecules can be monitored by optical methods. The research will encompass the development of light sources, photodetectors, and micro-optical systems based on hybrid organic/inorganic materials. The students will receive more than simply "exposure" because they will gain hands-on experience in areas of materials synthesis, processing, spectroscopy, device fabrication and operation, as well as system integration. The interdisciplinary nature of this collaboration will also provide the students with a fundamental understanding of synthesis-property relationships for hybrid optical materials and their applications in chemical and biological sensing.This proposal is an interdisciplinary, collaborative and international program directed at creating and developing the materials, the fabrication processes, and the components needed to demonstrate an integrated, optoelectronic system-on-a-chip capable of sensing chemical and biological agents. The program consists of two components: (1) research and development of chemical and biomedical sensing materials based on the sol-gel encapsulation of biomolecules and (2) research and development of optical sensing techniques that capitalize on the optical properties of the sensing materials. The program will provide strong educational benefits to participating undergraduate and graduate student researchers and make them competitive in the world economy. The breadth of the research and our proposed international training program will ensure that the students will not only become experts in their own field of specialization, but that they also will achieve a detailed understanding of the entire sensor system. The students' knowledge will encompass the fundamental chemical and physical science and engineering of the transducer and optical system, and the realities of device fabrication. This project is being co-funded by the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate (Office of Multidisciplinary Affairs, Division of Materials Research, Chemistry Division) and the Engineering Directorate (Chemical and Transport Systems Division).