MRI: Acquisition of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance and a Dynamic Light Scattering Apparatus for Undergraduate Education

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI), Jeffrey T. Petty, Karen L. Buchmueller and Timothy W. Hanks of Furman University will acquire a quartz crystal microbalance and a dynamic light scattering apparatus. The primary research applications of the instruments will be: (1) characterization and supramolecular assembly of Janus nanoparticles, (2) surface modification of polypyrrole films for biosensor construction, (3) measurement of the competition between small molecules and proteins for DNA binding sites, and (4)investigation of how Ag+ influences the aggregation of the ribonucleotide guanosine 5-monophosphate (5GMP).The quartz microbalance measures mass changes with a sensitivity that is ~100 times greater than an electronic balance. It will be used to monitor the structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic changes that accompany association reactions. The dynamic light scattering instrument will exploit the efficient scattering of visible light by nanostructures to understand how local molecular interactions drive the assembly of larger scale assemblies. Besides Furman faculty, three faculty mentors and their students from local technical and community colleges and an industrial collaborator will participate in the research program at Furman and use the instruments. This research environment will serve as the testing ground for innovations in the physical chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science courses that emphasize structural and thermodynamic analysis of molecular interactions.