CRIF:ID- Development of Instrumentation for Single Molecule Trapping and Spectroscopy for Chemistry Research

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This award from the CRIF-ID program to Jorg C. Woehl in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will fund the development and construction of a novel tool for single molecule research which combines capabilities (1) for the optical imaging and spectroscopy of individual fluorescent molecules or other optically active nanoparticles, and (2) for their controlled manipulation (trapping and positioning) at the nanoscale. The basic idea of the proposed novel trapping scheme is to create a circular potential energy well (an electrostatic corral) to capture charged molecules, such as membrane proteins or other laterally confined molecules, by applying an electric potential to the metal layer of the optical aperture tip of a near field scanning optical microscope. During the project timeframe, the PI's research group will build, test, and characterize an optical aperture trap, and required software for single particle trapping. Single molecule spectroscopy techniques have lead to a new understanding of many physical, chemical, and biological processes since they allow the observation of individual events, free from ensemble averaging, thus giving access to the full statistical heterogeneity of molecular properties This knowledge is important as it provides the basis for analyzing and explaining why two molecules of the same species can, for example, exhibit quite different biological activities. This instrumentation will advance the field of single molecule trapping for the study of particles in physical, chemical and biological processes. The work will be conducted by graduate students who will obtain valuable training in the design and construction of sophisticated scientific instrumentation.