Scaffolding for Nanotechnology: Extraordinary IR Transmission of Metal Microarrays for Sensors, Control of Light, and Surface Spectroscopy

俄亥俄州立大学的James Coe教授在分析和表面化学项目的支持下，对金属微阵列中非同寻常的传输效应进行了基本的理解。Ebessen的小组首先在可见波长范围内发现了这种效应，通过采用适当尺寸的阵列，也可以在红外线（如PI所示）中看到这种效应。此外，堆叠阵列作为一种耦合红外光谱与电化学/电容测量的方法正在研究中，这是传感器的一个重要应用。金属微阵列记录表面高灵敏度红外吸收光谱的能力也正在被Coe小组利用。各种系统正在研究中，包括烷烃硫醇单层，磷脂双层，DNA和膜结合蛋白。感兴趣的问题是单层和双层的相变以及膜结合蛋白的取向。在红外中观察到的异常传输是新颖的，对于传感器等应用来说，由于红外分子的独特指纹，红外光谱区域比可见-紫外区域更有希望。因此，从长远来看，这些装置可以作为组合或排列技术中的传感器，用于快速、灵敏和分子特异性的纳米技术结构、DNA和膜结合物种检测。从事这方面工作的学生将接触到物理化学、生物分析和表面物理的结合。

Professor James Coe of Ohio State University is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program to develop a fundamental understanding of the extraordinary transmission effect seen in metal microarrays. First seen by Ebessen's group in the visible wavelength range, the effect can also be seen in the infrared (as shown by the PI) by employing arrays with appropriate dimensions. In addition, stacked arrays are being studied as a way of coupling infrared spectroscopy with electrochemical/capacitance measurements, an important application for sensors. The ability of the metal micro-arrays to record high sensitivity infrared absorbance spectra of surfaces is also being exploited by the Coe group. A variety of systems are under study, including alkane thiol monolayers, phospholipid bilayers, DNA and membrane bound proteins. The questions of interest are phase transitions in the monolayers and bilayers and the orientation of membrane-bound proteins. The observation of extraordinary transmission in the infrared is novel, and for applications such as sensors, the infrared spectral region is much more promising than the visible-ultraviolet region because of the unique fingerprint of molecules in the infrared. Thus, in the long run, these devices might serve as the sensor in combinatorial or arrayed techniques for the rapid, sensitive and molecule-specific detection of nanotech constructions, DNA and membrane-bound species. Students working in this are are exposed to combinations of physical chemistry, bioanalysis as well as surface physics.