CAREER: Optical Sensors for the Detection of Vapor Phase Explosives Using Molecularly Imprinted Sol-Gel Materials: Integration of Research and Learning Using Forensic Science

该职业奖授予伍斯特学院的Paul Edmiston教授，由分析和表面化学项目支持，重点研究分子印迹光学传感器的开发，以选择性地检测气相和固相高炸药。Edmiston教授和他的本科生将使用共价/非共价混合分子印迹策略在多孔溶胶-凝胶材料中制备结合位点。分析物如三硝基甲苯（TNT）与这些材料的结合将通过直接附着在印迹结合口袋附近的荧光或吸光度变化的溶剂变色光学探针来检测。这些印迹溶胶-凝胶材料将作为薄膜沉积在集成光波导上，以提供快速的响应时间而不损失灵敏度。印迹溶胶-凝胶还将用于构建固相微萃取装置，用于现场采样应用，这将与现有的HPLC和GC/MS技术兼容。研究的法医学方面将成为对非科学专业本科生和大学预科学生的教育和推广活动的中心特征。将为非理工科学生开发新的实验室体验，使这些学生能够参与科学研究的过程。伍斯特学院化学专业的学生将参与针对克利夫兰市中心和农村高中学生的拓展活动。该项目的长期目标是开发简单、廉价、但高度敏感的传感技术，以快速探测TNT等爆炸物。爆炸物的存在将通过光学手段观察。该项目明显的法医应用将被用作一个焦点，让非科学专业的学生接触化学研究。与这些活动相结合，将扩大一个面向高中生的拓展计划（已经处于起步阶段），允许本科化学专业的学生通过展示法医学和化学研究中使用的现代分析技术与参与者互动。

This CAREER award to Professor Paul Edmiston of the College of Wooster, supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, focuses on the development of molecularly imprinted optical sensors to selectively detect gas and solution phase high-explosives. Professor Edmiston and his undergraduate students will use a hybrid covalent/non-covalent molecular imprinting strategy to prepare binding sites in porous sol-gel materials. Binding by analytes such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) to these materials will be detected by a change in fluorescence or absorbance of solvatochromic optical probes directly attached to sites adjacent to the imprinted binding pockets. These imprinted sol-gel materials will be deposited as thin films on integrated optical waveguides to provide fast response times without a loss in sensitivity. Imprinted sol-gels will also be used to construct solid-phase microextraction devices for field sampling applications that will be compatible with existing HPLC and GC/MS technologies. The forensic science aspect of the research will be a central feature of educational and outreach activities to non-science major undergraduates and pre-college students. New laboratory experiences for non-science majors will be developed that allow these students to be involved in the process of scientific research. College of Wooster chemistry students will be integral to outreach activities targeting inner-city Cleveland and rural high school students.The long term goal of this project is develop simple, inexpensive, but highly sensitive sensing technologies to quickly detect explosives such as TNT. The presence of explosives will be observed by optical means. The obvious forensic applications of the project will be used as a focal point to expose non-science majors to chemical research. In combination with these activities, an outreach program for high school students (already in its beginning stages) will be expanded that allows undergraduate chemistry majors to interact with the participants by demonstrating modern analytical techniques used in forensics and chemical research.