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，这将导致开发新型有机场效应晶体管架构，用于有针对性地检测爆炸分子的痕量蒸气。室温沉积的具有可调尺寸（0.5 nm-2.5 nm）的超细金属纳米颗粒将与有机半导体材料（例如真空沉积的多晶并五苯和溶液处理的非晶聚合物（聚（2-甲氧基-5-（3 '，7'-二甲基辛氧基）-对苯撑亚乙烯基）（MDMO-PPV）集成，以制造浮栅电子非易失性存储器基传感器件。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，并对炸药的痕量蒸汽传感的传感现象提供更好的基本理解。这种纳米粒子的集成也将产生额外的分析物特定的签名在晶体管的特性，使这些签名可以改善传感器？f辨别能力。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，以使晶体管具有目标特异性分子识别。此外，有机场效应晶体管传感器结构与不同的沟道长度范围从几十微米到5纳米将探索了解分析物的扩散动力学和分子水平的相互作用，通过其单电子电荷转移特性与印迹有机层和金属纳米粒子。智力优点：了解气相爆炸物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推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异性结合事件的物理化学和电学变化将提供大量信息，这些信息可以导致改善的传感和监测能力，从而进一步改善诊断，药物发现和治疗。由这些纳米工程有机场效应晶体管提供的相互作用和特异性识别的库可用于生成有用的信息，以量化可能显著危险的环境中爆炸材料的存在、浓度和位置。更广泛的影响：该项目将直接影响用于各种爆炸物监测系统的技术，该技术可转化为国家安全、公共安全和环境的诊断。一个突出的教育部分涉及变革传感器研究的“动手”教育活动，并将专门针对传统上在科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体的学生。这些活动将涉及中学，研究生和本科生，以及一般公众，扩大有关传感器系统的转化研究的一般知识的目标。

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.