SGER: Single Nanoparticle Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging

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"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Professor Karl S. Booksh of the University of Delaware is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry to develop a scanning, single particle surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy technique to be applied for label-free imaging of nanoscale heterogeneous materials. A single gold or silver nanoparticle will be placed on the tip of an optical fiber probe of a near-field scanning optical microscope. The plasmon field will be shaped and focused by adjusting the size and morphology of the nanoparticle probe. Refractive index changes on the probed surface will affect the surface plasmon resonance frequency of the particle immobilized at the tip of the probe. This will enable the high-resolution mapping of local dielectric constants of nanoscale heterogeneous materials without the need for dyes or reporter molecules. Such a high resolution, non-invasive imaging method is currently not available. The proposed imaging technique will be useful for characterization of surfaces of materials such as SAMs, lipid bilayers, and soft polymers, and will lead to innovations in nanoscience and technology, surface chemistry, and biotechnology.