RUI: Development of Organic and Biological Films on Vapor-deposited Metal Nanostructures

中阿肯色大学的Donald Perry教授在化学系的大分子、超分子、纳米化学(MSN)计划的支持下，研究了小有机分子在银和金纳米结构上的逐层生长。金属将在盐板上蒸发，薄膜将与衬底以不同的入射角度与金属蒸发源一起生长。沉积溶剂的极性性质和其他生长条件将适当改变，以控制金属纳米结构上分子层内有机分子的取向、分子间相互作用和电离度。所得到的金属纳米结构将用表面分析显微镜和光谱技术进行表征，并将因其对表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)和表面增强红外吸收(SEIRA)光谱的增强而被研究。这项研究将有助于建立金属纳米粒子与有机物、生物和环境相互作用的知识库，并将影响在纳米银和金表面上特定结构的有机和生化层的制备，并将在催化、药物输送和组织工程等领域得到应用。这项研究还将通过向本科生介绍纳米材料的许多方面来影响他们的职业生涯，这些方面通常不会在传统课堂上讨论。此外，本科生参与研究将激励学生在阿肯色州的科学领域选择职业，那里只有18%的人口拥有四年制大学学位。

Professor Donald Perry of the University of Central Arkansas is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry to investigate the layer by layer growth of films of small organic molecules on silver and gold nanostructures. The metal will be evaporated on salt plates and films will be grown with the substrate at different incident angles to the metal evaporation source. The polar properties of the deposition solvents and other growth conditions will be judiciously varied to control the orientations, intermolecular interactions, and degree of ionization of the organic molecules within the molecular layers on the metal nanostructures. The resulting metal nanostructures will be characterized with surface analytical microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, and will be investigated for their enhancement of the spectra in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA). The research will contribute to the knowledge base in metal nanoparticle interactions with organic matter, organisms and the environment, and will impact the fabrication of organic and biochemical layers of specific architectures on nanoscale silver and gold surfaces with applications in areas such as catalysis, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. The research will also impact the career of undergraduate students by introducing them to many aspects of nanomaterials that are not typically discussed within traditional class rooms. Furthermore, the involvement of undergraduates in research will motivate students to choose careers in scientific fields in Arkansas where only 18% of the population has a four-year college degree.