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

历史上的黑人高校科学与工程研究基础设施（HBCU-RISE）活动隶属于科学与技术卓越研究中心（CREST）项目，支持提供科学和工程学科博士学位的hbcu的研究能力发展。HBCU-RISE项目与接收部门的长期计划和机构使命，以及扩大机构研究能力和增加理工科博士生生产的计划直接相关。在美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）的支持下，杰克逊州立大学（JSU）旨在开发一项研究和教育计划，使化学本科生（RISE Scholars）和研究生（RISE Fellows）具备全球竞争力，方法是：招募对纳米化学感兴趣的高素质博士生；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，支持纳米化学研究的扩展；并在教师和博士生之间进行跨学科的合作研究，他们将进行演讲和发表。该提案的目的是：(a)改善和扩大该机构的研究和教育能力，以使非裔美国人和妇女成为我们国家未来一代有效的科学家；(b)通过有效培养下一代美国科学家来增加少数族裔学生的数量和质量。JSU-RISE跨学科教师导师将合作开展一项研究项目，涉及基于荧光成像材料的新型多功能碳量子点（CQDs）的化学设计和开发，并展示其在生物和化学成像方面的可能应用。目标是建立合成程序，以开发不同类型的CQDs作为同时靶向检测几种致病菌和病毒的成像材料。该研究采用纳米科学、有机化学和理论相结合的综合方法来构建界面，从而提供纳米界面上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CQDs的合成方法，如氧化石墨烯量子点、碳点和金属掺杂石墨烯点；B)通过测量双光子发光强度测量双光子吸收截面；c)研究开发的CQDs的光稳定性和生物相容性；d)展示基于生物分子近红外成像的CQDs，用于选择性和同时检测几种水传播病原体；e)使用量子化学计算来理解CQDs与生物分子之间的相互作用。该提案的目标与JSU正在进行的发展计划保持一致，该计划旨在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.