Development of Instrumentation for High Throughput, Single Nanoparticle Tracking and LSPR Biosensing

化学系的化学测量和成像计划(CMI)支持西北大学的Richard P.Van Duyne教授和他的团队为快速、并行的生物传感开发新的仪器和概念。其长期目标是使许多新的实验成为可能，例如：(1)在低粘度介质中实时跟踪纳米颗粒以研究纳米颗粒的生长动力学；(2)将生物传感器的灵敏度扩展到单分子极限；(3)利用单个纳米颗粒开发多路生物传感器；(4)测量由分子连接物构建的纳米颗粒组件的内部波动动力学；以及(5)细胞内生物传感。所开发的仪器将从根本上对吸附在单个纳米颗粒上的单分子(或小簇)的化学产生新的理解。这项研究有可能在以下方面产生广泛影响：(1)纳米科学与技术，特别是等离子体；(2)研究生、博士后学者、本科生和中学教师的教育；(3)培训女性和少数族裔科学家从事工业和学术界的职业；以及(4)向广大受众传播有关纳米科学与技术的信息。用于体内血糖监测的新型等离子传感器、阿尔茨海默病-S病的临床诊断、化学/生物战剂检测和ART保护研究等应用将产生重大的科学和社会影响。从事该项目的学生和博士后将接受机械和电子结构以及仪器控制编程方面的广泛培训。因此，他们将拥有成为化学测量科学中独立和创新的研究领导者所需的工具集。

The Chemical Measurement and Imaging program (CMI) of the Division of Chemistry supports Professor Richard P. Van Duyne and his group at Northwestern University to develop new instrumentation and concepts for fast, parallel biosensing. The long-term aim is to enable many new experiments such as (1) real-time 3D nanoparticle tracking in low viscosity media to study nanoparticle growth dynamics; (2) extending the biosensor sensitivity to the single molecule limit; (3) developing multiplexed biosensors utilizing single nanoparticles; (4) measuring the internal fluctuational dynamics of nanoparticle assemblies constructed with molecular linkers; and (5) intracellular biosensing. The instrumentation developed will lead to fundamentally new understanding of the chemistry of single molecules (or small clusters) adsorbed onto single nanoparticles. This research has potential for broad impact on: (1) nanoscale science & technology in general and plasmonics in particular; (2) the education of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, undergraduates, and secondary school teachers; (3) the training of women and minority scientists for careers in industry and academia; and (4) the dissemination of information about nanoscale science & technology to broad audiences. Substantial scientific and societal impact will derive from applications such as new plasmonic sensors for in vivo glucose monitoring, clinical diagnostics for Alzheimer?s disease, chemical/biological warfare agent detection, and art conservation studies. Students and postdocs working on this project will receive extensive training in mechanical and electronics construction as well as instrument control programming. As a consequence they will have the tool set needed to become independent and innovative research leaders in chemical measurement science.