RAMAN MICROSCOPE FOR PROBING NANO-BIO INTERFACES AND COMPLEX SYSTEMS

本项目是为哥伦比亚大学UFL/CU I/UCRC NSF颗粒和表面活性剂系统中心（CPSS）购买一台分析级共聚焦拉曼显微镜，与其他部门共享使用。该仪器对于推进CPSS在以下领域的当前和计划中的研究至关重要：1)健康和环境安全以及纳米粒子的化学反应性；2)工业用绿色化学品；3)性能增强的新型有机硅表面活性剂和聚合物。目前地球与环境工程系和其他部门的项目也肯定会从拉曼的使用中受益：1)二氧化碳封存，替代能源，气体分离膜；2)生物胶体工程在分子成像和靶向治疗中的医学应用；3)通过鉴定高硅岩浆中的溶解挥发物和鉴定宿主晶体中多微米大小包裹体中的矿物相来确定地质过程；4)新型纳米电子系统；嵌顿客体分子与C60宿主内凹壁之间独特的电子、旋转、振动和自旋相互作用。学术价值:1)将开发独特、快速、准确和非侵入性的拉曼光谱技术，用于NPs的原位定位和表征它们的电子、表面和晶格性质、润湿性、团聚性、沉积性以及反应性（吸附、酸碱、氧化还原性质、NPs产生或清除活性氧的能力、与细胞膜的相互作用），以及在自然和工程界面以及细胞、细菌、乳剂中。和悬浮液。2)基于拉曼光谱和其他互补光谱和显微方法获得的科学数据，将建立纳米毒性的新范式。3)结合其他实验方法和理论建模，拉曼显微镜将用于了解绿色表面活性剂与传统表面活性剂、聚合物及其杂化物在分子和分子上的协同作用。将提出并测试聚合行为和结构-性能关系的基本机制和预测模型。4)首次对有机硅表面活性剂/聚合物在棉织物上的表面和界面活性以及有机硅分子结构的函数进行系统的基础振动光谱研究。所产生的信息将用于扩展现有的知识库，以开发新的混合有机硅结构，并识别具有独特界面特性的其他材料。更广泛的影响：在我们的研究工作中使用拉曼显微镜将允许1)产生关键知识，以应对绿色技术，纳米技术和纳米科学，胶体科学，地球科学，医学和材料研究等新兴领域的挑战；2)在更好地理解新型复杂材料及其与生物系统在分子水平上的相互作用的基础上，开发新的技术解决方案，特别是在使用表面活性剂、聚合物和纳米颗粒的广泛行业中促进创新；3)加强跨学科及跨部门合作；4)对本科生和研究生进行跨学科实用仪器的培训，促进他们的教育和团队互动；5)将光谱化学领域的范围扩展到应用科学和工程的新兴领域，这必将促进新的高质量的跨学科研究。这项研究将有助于增加各个实验室中少数民族学生的数量，因为我们的目标是通过工程学院的特殊本科生研究参与计划培养更多的少数民族学生。少数民族学生将受益于科学研究方法的第一手经验，使用先进的分析技术，并学习其在工业相关领域的应用。PI将整合部分实验研究，开发一个实验室模块，用于他的课程“表面与胶体化学导论”和“应用表面与胶体化学”。

0933621SomasundaranThis project is for the acquisition of an analytical grade confocal Raman microscope for the UFL/CU I/UCRC NSF Center for Particulate and Surfactant Systems (CPSS) at Columbia University, for a shared use with other departments. The instrument is essential in advancing current and planned research at CPSS in such areas as 1) health and environmental safety and chemical reactivity of nanoparticles (NPs); 2) greener chemicals for industries; 3) new silicone surfactants and polymers with enhanced performance. Among current projects in the Department of Earth and Environment Engineering and other departments which would also definitely benefit from the use of Raman are: 1) carbon dioxide sequestration, alternative energy, gas separation membranes; 2) biocolloid engineering for medical applications in molecular imaging and targeted therapy; 3) determination of geological processes through identification of dissolved volatiles in high silica magmas, identification of mineral phases in multi-micron sized inclusions within host crystals; 4) new nanoelectronical systems; unique electronic, rotational, vibrational and spin interactions between an incarcerated guest molecules with the inner concave walls of a C60 host.Intellectual Merit: 1) Unique, fast, accurate, and non-intrusive techniques of Raman spectroscopy will be developed for in situ locating of NPs and characterizing of their electronic, surface, and lattice properties, wettability, agglomeration, and deposition as well as reactivity (adsorption, acid-base, redox properties, and the capacity of NPs to generate or scavenge reactive oxygen species, interaction with cell membranes) at natural and engineered interfaces as well as in cells, bacteria, emulsions, and suspensions. 2) Based on the scientific data obtained through Raman and other complementary spectroscopic and microscopic methods, a new paradigm of nanotoxicity of NPs will be developed. 3) In combination with other experimental methods and theoretical modeling, Raman microscopy will be used to understand the synergistic effects of green surfactants with conventional surfactants, polymers and their hybrids at molecular and upramolecular levels. Fundamental mechanisms and predictive models for the aggregation behavior and structure-performance relationship will be proposed and tested. 4) For the first time, a systematic fundamental vibrational spectroscopic study will be performed on the surface and interfacial activity of silicone surfactants/polymers on cotton fabric, as a function of silicone molecular architecture. The information generated will be used to expand the existing knowledge base to develop new hybrid silicone structures and to identify other materials with unique interfacial properties.Broader Impact: The use of Raman microscopy in our research efforts will allow 1) the generation of critical knowledge required to address challenges in the emerging fields of green technologies, nanotechnology and nanoscience, colloid science, geoscience, medicine, and materials research; 2) the development of new technological solutions based on a better understanding of novel and complex materials and their interactions with biosystems at the molecular level, in particular, fostering innovation in a broad range of industries that employ surfactants, polymers, and nanoparticles; 3) the enhancement of interdisciplinary and inter departmental collaboration; 4) the training of undergraduate and graduate students on an instrument with utility across a wide range of disciplines, promoting their education and their team interaction; 5) the expansion of the scope of the spectrochemistry community into the emerging areas of applied sciences and engineering, which will certainly boost new high quality interdisciplinary research. The research will help to increase the number of minority students in various laboratories, as we are aiming to train more minority students through the Engineering school's special Undergraduate Research Involvement program. Minority students will benefit through first hand experience in methods of scientific research, working with advanced analytical techniques, and learning about their applications in industrially relevant areas. The PI will integrate a part of the employed experimental studies to develop a laboratory module for use in his courses Introduction to Surface and Colloid Chemistry and Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry.