EAGER: Towards Simultaneous Optical Sensing of Multiple Analytes With a Multiple Surface-Plasmon-Polariton-Wave Platform

1106503 Lakhtakia智力功绩。工业生产过程中化学废物的扩散、农业径流中的杀虫剂、垃圾填埋场中的金属沥滤，所有这些都加剧了水资源污染的日益严重的问题。恐怖分子故意将杀虫剂和细菌引入该国的水资源是一个相关的潜在问题。今天的光学传感器被设计成一次检测一种分析物。如果每个传感器可以感测多于一种的分析物，则检测的速度将大大提高。理论已经表明，在特定的自由空间波长下，可以在金属膜和称为手性雕刻薄膜（CSTF）的纳米材料的平面界面处激发多于一个的表面等离子体激元（SPP）波，这与在用于基于SPP的光学感测技术的常规平台中可以激发的仅一个SPP波形成对比。EAGER项目的目的是从理论和实验上了解使用金属/CSTF界面进行多分析物传感的基本原理，只需一个光学传感器。利用氧化钛和钽氧化物柱状薄膜和铝薄膜的实验数据，将进行计算以合理地映射CSTF沉积条件与多个SPP波模式的发生。铝和CSTFs将沉积在常见的Kretschmann配置，以验证多个SPP波模式的预测实验。最后，将通过用水渗透CSTF并注意Kretschmann配置中的角位移来进行概念验证传感实验。在多分析物传感器的理论基础和实现之间存在两个不完整的环节。首先，必须对金属/CSTF界面引导的多个SPP波模式进行清晰和全面的实验验证。其次，除了CSTF是多孔的之外，溅射的金属膜也将是多孔的，使得所提出的传感器的特性可能比想象的更复杂。因此，这是一个高风险的建议，非EAGER筹资机制被有效地引用。成功将带来丰厚的回报，因为传感流体中生物化学物质的能力将大大增强。该项目将吸引一名美国研究生从事跨学科研究，该研究将纳米材料合成和光学反射率/透射率测量中的主题联系起来。PI的捐赠教授椅子将资助宾夕法尼亚州立大学的一名本科工程专业学生参与拟议的研究。两名学生都将被要求通过参加宾夕法尼亚州立大学一年一度的学生管理的工程研究研讨会来发展他们的演讲技巧。该项目还将与加拿大魁北克的环境健康技术行业领导者Groupe GDG Énémente Lte展开紧密合作，重点关注基于传感器和芯片实验室技术的新型诊断工具。

1106503 Lakhtakia Intellectual Merit. The dispersal of chemical wastes from industrial processes, pesticides from agricultural run-offs, metal leaching from landfills, all exemplify the growing problem of pollution of water resources. The deliberate introduction of pesticides and bacteria by terrorists in the nation's water resources is a related potential problem. Today's optical sensors are designed to detect one analyte at a time. If each sensor could sense more than one analyte, the rapidity of detection would be greatly enhanced.Theory has shown that more than one surface- plasmon-polariton (SPP) wave can be excited at the planar interface of a metal film and a nanomaterial called a chiral sculptured thin film (CSTF) at a specific free-space wavelength, in contrast to the only one SPP wave that can be excited in conventional platforms for SPP-based optical sensing technology. The aim of this 1-year EAGER project to theoretically and experimentally understand the underlying principles towards the use of a metal/CSTF interface for multi-analyte sensing with just one optical sensor.With experimental data available for titanium-oxide and tantalum-oxide columnar thin films and aluminum thin films, calculations will be made to reasonably map the occurrence of multiple SPP-wave modes in relation to the deposition conditions of CSTFs. Aluminum and CSTFs will be deposited in the commonplace Kretschmann configuration to verify the prediction of multiple SPP-wave modes experimentally. Lastly, a proof-of-concept sensing experiment will be performed by infiltrating a CSTF with water and noting the angular shifts in the Kretschmann configuration. Two incomplete links exist between the theoretical foundation and the realization of a multi-analyte sensor. First, clear and comprehensive experimental verification of the multiple SPP-wave modes guided by the metal/CSTF interface has to be carried out. Second, the sputtered metal film will also be porous, in addition to the CSTF being porous, so that the characteristics of the proposed sensor could be more complicated than thought. Hence, this is a high-risk proposal for non-EAGER funding mechanisms to be fruitfully invoked. Success will result in a high pay-off, as the capacity for sensing biochemicals in fluids would be greatly enhanced.Broader Impact. This project will engage one US graduate student in interdisciplinary research that bridges topics in nanomaterials synthesis and optical reflectance/transmittance measurements. The PI's endowed professorial chair will fund the participation of an undergraduate engineering student at Penn State in the proposed research. Both students will be required to develop their presentation skills by participating in the annual student-run College of Engineering Research Symposium at Penn State. The project will also initiate a tight collaboration with Groupe GDG Énvironmente Lte, Quebec, Canada, an industrial leader in environmental health technology, with a strong focus on new diagnostics tools based on sensors and lab-on-a-chip technology.