HBCU-RISE: Research and Educational Infrastructure for the Chemical Design of Advanced Carbon Nanomaterial Based Quantum Dots for Bio Imaging

历史上的黑人学院和大学科学与工程研究基础设施（HBCU-RISE）活动在科学和技术卓越研究中心（CREST）计划支持在HBCU提供科学和工程学科博士学位的研究能力的发展。HBCU-RISE项目与主办部门的长期计划和机构使命以及扩大机构研究能力以及增加科学和工程博士生产量的计划有直接联系。在国家科学基金会的支持下，杰克逊州立大学（JSU）旨在开发一个研究和教育计划，为化学本科生做好准备。（RISE Scholars）和研究生（RISE研究员）通过以下方式具有全球竞争力：招募对纳米化学感兴趣的才华横溢的博士生;为博士生提供跨学科研究活动的教师指导;支持博士生的领导力发展活动;开发新课程，为JSU化学博士课程提供独特的更新课程;升级实验室设备，以支持纳米化学研究的扩展;并在教师和博士生中产生合作跨学科研究，他们将发表演讲并发表。这项建议的目的是：（a）提高和扩大该机构的研究和教育能力，以便培养非洲裔美国人和妇女成为我国未来一代的有效科学家;（B）通过有效培养下一代美国科学家，提高少数民族学生的数量和质量。JSU-RISE跨学科教师导师将合作开展一项研究项目，该项目涉及基于荧光成像材料的新型多功能碳量子点（CQD）的化学设计和开发，并展示其在生物和化学成像中的可能应用。目标是建立合成程序，以开发不同类型的CQDs作为成像材料，用于同时靶向传感多种病原细菌和病毒。拟议的研究采用了一种综合方法，结合纳米科学，有机化学和理论来构建界面，提供有关纳米界面化学活动的定量信息。研究活动将包括：a）开发明亮和光稳定的CQD的合成方法，例如氧化石墨烯量子点、碳量子点和金属掺杂的石墨烯量子点; B）通过测量双光子发光强度来测量双光子吸收截面; c）发现开发的CQD的光稳定性和生物相容性; d）展示基于CQD的生物分子的近红外成像，用于选择性地和同时地感测几种水性病原体;以及该提案的目标与JSU正在进行的发展计划保持一致，成为该地区最重要的纳米技术中心之一，旨在制造可用于日常生活应用的设备。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (HBCU-RISE) activity within the Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program supports the development of research capability at HBCUs that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines. HBCU-RISE projects have a direct connection to the long-term plans of the host department(s) and the institutional mission, and plans for expanding institutional research capacity as well as increasing the production of doctoral students in science and engineering. With support from the National Science Foundation, Jackson State University (JSU) aims to develop a research and educational program that will prepare chemistry undergraduate (RISE Scholars) and graduate students (RISE Fellows) to be globally competitive by: recruiting highly talented doctoral students with an interest in nanochemistry; providing faculty-led mentoring of interdisciplinary research activities for doctoral students; supporting leadership development activities for doctoral students; developing new courses toward a unique updated curriculum for the JSU chemistry doctoral program; upgrading the lab equipment to support the expansion of nanochemistry research; and generating collaborative-interdisciplinary research among faculty members and doctoral students who will give presentations and publish. The purposes of this proposal are to (a) improve and expand the institution's research and educational capability in order to prepare African Americans and women to become effective future generation of scientists for our nation and (b) to increase the number and quality of minority students through the effective preparation of the next generation of US scientists. The JSU-RISE interdisciplinary faculty mentors will collaborate on a research project pertaining to the chemical design and development of novel multifunctional carbon quantum dots (CQDs) based fluorescence imaging materials and demonstrate their possible application for biological and chemical imaging. The goal is to establish synthetic procedures to develop different types CQDs as imaging materials for targeted sensing of several pathogenic bacteria and viruses simultaneously. The proposed research applies an integrated approach combining nanoscience, organic chemistry, and theory to construct interfaces that give quantitative information about chemical activities at the nano interface. The research activities will include: a) developing synthetic procedures for bright and photo stable CQDs such as graphene oxide quantum dots, carbon dots and metal doped graphene dots; b) measuring the two photon absorption cross section by measuring two-photon luminescence intensity; c) finding the photo-stability and biocompatibility of the developed CQDs; d) demonstrating CQDs based near IR imaging of bio-molecules for the selective and simultaneous sensing of several waterborne pathogens; and e) using quantum chemical calculations to understand the interaction between CQDs and biological molecules. The goals of this proposal are well-aligned with the ongoing developmental plan of JSU to become one of the region's foremost centers for nanotechnology with the aim of making devices that can be used for daily life applications.