GOALI: Trace Vapor Detection of Explosives using Molecularly Imprinted Organic Field Effect Transistors and Metal Nanoparticles

该项目的目标是开发将金属纳米颗粒和分子印迹技术与有机电子学相结合的方法，这将导致开发新的有机场效应晶体管结构，用于靶向检测爆炸物分子的微量蒸气。室温沉积的尺寸可调(0.5nm2.5 nm)的超细金属纳米颗粒将与有机半导体材料(如真空沉积多晶并五苯和溶液处理的无定形聚合物(poly(2-methoxy-5-(3‘，7’-dimethyloctyloxy)-p-phenylene)集成在一起，制造基于浮栅电子非易失性存储器的传感器件。将这些纳米级元素结合到优化的有机场效应晶体管结构中的协同方法有望对这些化学相互作用产生新的见解，并提供对爆炸物痕量蒸气传感现象的更好的基本理解。这种纳米粒子的集成还将在晶体管特性中产生额外的分析物特定签名，以便这些签名可以提高传感器的识别能力。有机场效应晶体管的选择性将通过开发和优化分子印迹技术来解决，以使晶体管具有靶向特定的分子识别能力。此外，还将探索通道长度从几十微米到5 nm的有机场效应晶体管传感器结构，以了解分析物的扩散动力学和分子水平的相互作用，通过它们与印迹有机层和金属纳米颗粒的单电子电荷转移特性。智力优势：了解气相炸药分子与纳米工程聚合物和金属纳米颗粒的分子水平相互作用的基本方法将促进爆炸物传感技术领域的研究。研究单个分子的相互作用以及伴随特定结合事件的物理化学和电学变化将提供大量信息，从而提高传感和监测能力，从而进一步改善诊断、药物发现和治疗。这些纳米工程有机场效应晶体管提供的相互作用库和特定识别可用于生成有助于量化环境中可能具有重大危险的爆炸材料的存在、浓度和位置的信息。更广泛的影响：该项目将直接影响用于各种爆炸性监视系统的技术，该技术可以转化为对国家安全、公共安全和环境的诊断。一个突出的教育组成部分涉及变革性传感器研究中的实践教育活动，并将专门针对传统上在科学和工程领域代表性较低的群体的学生。这些活动将涉及中学生、研究生和本科生，以及普通公众，目的是扩大关于传感器系统翻译研究的一般知识。

The goal of this project is to develop methods of integrating metal nanoparticles and molecular imprinting techniques with organic electronics which will lead to the development of novel organic field effect transistor architectures for targeted detection of trace vapors of explosive molecules. Room temperature deposited, ultra-fine metal nanoparticles with tunable sizes (0.5 nm-2.5 nm) will be integrated with organic semiconductor materials such as vacuum-deposited poly-crystalline pentacene and solution-processed amorphous polymer (poly(2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) (MDMO-PPV)) to fabricate floating gate electronic non-volatile memory-based sensing devices. A synergistic approach that combines these nano-scale elements into optimized organic field effect transistor structures is expected to yield new insights into these chemical interactions and provide better fundamental understanding of the sensing phenomena towards trace vapor sensing of explosives. Integration of such nanoparticles will also yield additional analyte-specific signatures in the transistor characteristics such that these signatures can improve the sensors?f discrimination capabilities. Selectivity of the organic field effect transistors will be addressed by developing and optimizing molecular imprinting techniques to give the transistors target-specific molecular recognition. Furthermore, organic field effect transistor sensor structures with varying channel lengths ranging from tens of microns to 5 nm will be explored to understand the diffusion kinetics of analytes and molecular level interaction through their single electron charge transfer characteristics with imprinted organic layers and metal nanoparticles. Intellectual merit: A fundamental approach to understanding the molecular level interaction of the vapor phase explosive molecules with nano-engineered polymers and metal nanoparticles will advance research in the area of explosive sensing technologies. Studying the interaction of single molecules and the physico-chemical and electrical changes accompanying specific binding events will offer a plethora of information that can lead to improved sensing and monitoring capabilities which further leads to improved diagnostics, drug discovery and therapeutics. The library of interactions and specific recognition provided by these nano-engineered organic field effect transistors can be used for generation of information useful to quantify the presence, concentration and location of the explosive material in the environment that may be significantly hazardous. Broader impact: This project will directly impact the technologies used for various explosive surveillance systems, and the technology can be translated to diagnostics for national security, public safety and the environment. A prominent educational component involves 'hands-on' educational activities in transformative sensor research and will specifically target students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering. These activities will involve secondary, graduate and undergraduate students, and the general public with the goal of broadening general knowledge about translational research in sensor systems.