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

科学与技术卓越研究中心(CREST)项目中的传统黑人学院和大学科学与工程研究基础设施(HBCU-RISE)活动支持提供科学和工程学科博士学位的HBCU研究能力的发展。HBCU-RISE项目与东道国部门(S)的长期计划和机构使命以及扩大机构研究能力和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)致力于开发一项研究和教育计划，通过以下方式为化学本科生(RISE学者)和研究生(RISE FERLOTS)做好准备，使其具有全球竞争力：招聘对纳米化学感兴趣的有才华的博士生；为博士生提供跨学科研究活动的指导；支持博士生的领导力发展活动；为JSU化学博士生项目开发新课程；升级实验室设备，以支持纳米化学研究的扩展；在教职员工和博士生之间开展跨学科合作研究，他们将进行演讲和出版。这项建议的目的是(A)改进和扩大该机构的研究和教育能力，以便为非裔美国人和妇女培养成为我国未来有效的科学家，以及(B)通过有效地培养下一代美国科学家来提高少数族裔学生的数量和质量。JSU-RISE跨学科教师导师将就一项与新型多功能碳量子点(CQD)荧光成像材料的化学设计和开发有关的研究项目进行合作，并展示它们在生物和化学成像方面的可能应用。其目标是建立合成程序，以开发不同类型的CQD作为成像材料，同时靶向感应几种致病细菌和病毒。这项拟议的研究采用了一种结合纳米科学、有机化学和理论的综合方法来构建界面，给出关于纳米界面上化学活动的定量信息。研究活动将包括：a)开发发光和光稳定的CQD的合成方法，如氧化石墨烯量子点、碳点和金属掺杂的石墨烯CQD；b)通过测量双光子发光强度来测量双光子吸收截面；c)发现所开发的CQD的光稳定性和生物相容性；d)展示基于生物分子的近红外成像的CQD，用于选择性和同时检测几种水性病原体；以及e)使用量子化学计算来了解CQD与生物分子之间的相互作用。这项提议的目标与联合苏黎世大学正在进行的发展计划非常一致，该计划旨在成为该地区最重要的纳米技术中心之一，目的是制造可用于日常生活的设备。

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.