Nanophotonics of RE/DNA/nanotube materials: From bio-sensing-on-chip to live stem cell measurements

摘要标题：复合荧光纳米材料稀土与dna封闭碳纳米管的基础物理和生物传感应用非技术：纳米材料已经极大地影响了现代生活的几个方面，其中之一是与它们在医学和卫生保健方面的力量有关。这项研究涉及稀土基材料，由于其优异的荧光性，稀土已经在照明、太阳能电池、传感器、生物和医学诊断和成像方面找到了重要的应用领域。本项目将进一步推进生物成像技术的应用。在之前的研究中，稀土与一种独特的纳米碳材料（即所谓的单壁纳米管）结合在一起。纳米管本身已经被用于各种微型传感器，这些传感器非常小，可以放在织物线上。最近，这个小组提出使用DNA中的纳米管来研究活细胞，并获得了有希望的结果。纳米材料如何提高稀土的传感能力已经得到了证明。新的项目将扩展这项研究，并将重点放在纳米管作为微小天线上，以放大稀土接收的光信号。由于这些光学元件的尺寸很小（纳米级），它们可以穿透细胞内部，并从那里传输生物学相关信息，从而有可能提高我们对细胞如何作为生物体的组成部分的认识，并帮助医学和健康科学解决当前的问题。这项研究伴随着一项针对当地社区和全国STEM学生的积极推广计划。技术方面：本项目主要开发和研究基于单壁纳米管和单链DNA的稀土配合物的生物成像材料。本研究的意义在于开发一种新的生物传感材料。由于单壁纳米管的直径只有几纳米，它们与许多生物大分子如酶、抗体、DNA质粒等相当，并可能与细胞内环境相互作用。这使得它们与生物医学研究和应用的新机会越来越相关。虽然在早期阶段，这个项目启发我们如何活的有机体，在细胞水平上，可能会受到新的现代纳米材料（纳米管）的影响。利用光学非破坏性表征，细胞内纳米管的命运已经在项目的前一阶段确定。在新项目的过程中，该团队将致力于相互交织的理论和实验任务，包括纳米管- dna -稀土离子混合材料的实验光学表征和近场电磁模式理论；探索这些纳米材料在光子晶体和仿生水凝胶中的生物传感性能；研究热点在纳米管材料中的作用及其对稀土离子和/或DNA光致发光的影响；晶格内掺入生物传感材料的光子晶体光响应调制实验研究这些纳米材料在微流体传感系统和体外神经干细胞研究中的应用。一系列的样品将被研究，通过合作链接在利哈伊大学、犹他大学、LANL和NIST准备。传播这些成果的多样化计划包括在理哈伊的研究建议和教学，在当地学校（帕利塞兹高中，摩拉维亚学院）的推广，参加学校儿童发展国家设施（达芬奇发现中心）的展览，通过当地社区学院（NCCC， LCTI和LCCC）和当地库茨敦大学的STEM增强计划，REU和GAAN计划在物理系。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Abstract Title: Fundamental physics and biosensing applications of composite fluorescent nanomaterials rare-earths combined with DNA-enclosed carbon nanotubesNontechnical:Nanomaterials have influenced drastically several aspects of modern life, one of those is associated with their power in medicine and health care. This research involves rare-earth based materials due to their excellent fluorescence rare earths have already found a significant application niche in lighting, solar cells, sensors, biological and medical diagnostics and imaging. The bioimaging applications will be further advanced in this project. It is a continuation of the previous study in which rare-earths were combined with a unique nanocarbon material, so called single-wall nanotubes. Nanotubes by themselves has been already used in various miniaturized sensors, which are so extremely small that can be placed on a fabric thread. Most recently this group proposed using nanotubes enclosed in the DNA for studying live cells and has obtained promising results. It has been already demonstrated how nanomaterials could improve sensing capabilities of rare-earths. New project will extend this study and focus on nanotubes as tiny antennas to magnify the optical signals received by rare-earths. Due to small (nanometer) scale of these optical elements they can penetrate inside the cells and transmit the biologically relevant information from there, potentially improving our knowledge about how cells work as building blocks of organisms and helping medicine and health sciences in solving their current problems. This research is accompanied by a vigorous outreach program, aimed both on the local community and STEM students nationwide.Technical:This project focuses on developing and studying materials for bioimaging based on the rare-earth complexes with single-wall nanotubes and single strand DNA. Significance of this research is in developing a new biosensing material. Since single-wall nanotubes have diameters of only a few nanometers, they are comparable to many biological macromolecules such as enzymes, antibodies, DNA plasmids, etc. and may interact with intracellular environment. This makes them increasingly relevant for new opportunities in biomedical research and applications. Though at early stage, this project enlighten us about how the living organisms, at the cell level, may be influenced by new modern nanomaterials (nanotubes) upon ingestion. Using optical non-destructing characterization the fate of the nanotubes inside the cells has been already determined on the previous stage of the project. In the course of new project the team will work on intertwined theoretical and experimental tasks, including experimental optical characterization and theory of near-field electromagnetic modes in the hybrid materials of nanotubes-DNA-rare-earth-ions; exploring performance of these nanomaterials for bio-sensing applications in photonic-crystals and inside bio-mimetic hydrogels; studying the role of hotspots in nanotube materials and their influence on the photoluminescence of rare-earth ions and/or DNA; experimental studies of modulation of optical response of photonic crystals incorporating biosensing materials inside its lattice; application of these nanomaterials inside micro-fluidics sensing system and to studying in vitro neural stem cell. A series of samples will be studied, prepared at Lehigh University as well as at University of Utah, LANL and NIST via the collaboration links. A diverse program for dissemination of those results involves research advising and teaching at Lehigh, outreach at local schools (Palisades High School, Moravian Academy), participation in exhibition at a school children development National facility (the DaVinci Discovery Center), STEM enhancement programs via local Community Colleges (NCCC, LCTI and LCCC) and local Kutztown University, REU and GAAN programs within the Physics Department.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.