CAREER: Development of New Plasmonic Electrochemical Microscopy Centered Techniques for Advancing Single Entity Analysis

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Dr. Yixian Wang and her group at California State University, Los Angeles are developing new techniques to study the chemistry of single nanoparticles, cells, cellular components, and molecules. The ability to investigate the chemistry of these single entities is significant because many complex systems consist of assemblies of individual parts that are not all alike. Understanding the function or behavior of the entire system often requires knowing how the individual components work. For example, it is important to know how a single leaf works in order to understand how a tree grows. Dr. Wang’s new techniques address key challenges faced by researchers studying the chemistry of nanoscopic particles using a specialized kind of microscopy. The new techniques overcome problems caused by contamination and other issues related to sample preparation, difficulty measuring especially small entities, and poor sensitivity in measuring some chemical reactions. In addition to cutting-edge research, the integrated educational activities of this work help to improve the quality and accessibility of STEM learning through the development of a new animation-based teaching module for undergraduate courses, as well as the integration of independent research projects into the undergraduate curriculum, and by engaging students from the local community through one-on-one research mentoring and virtual learning opportunities.Single entity analysis is essential for understanding the fundamental dynamics of real-world systems that are often heterogeneous. Dr. Yixian Wang and her group are developing three new plasmonic electrochemical microscopy (PEM)-centered techniques to improve the feasibility, resolution, and sensitivity of PEM for single entity analysis and to advance scientific progress in this field. Specifically, the research team is developing (1) non-contact PEM for background-free single nanoparticle measurements and contamination-free single vesicle sensing, (2) scanning probe coupled PEM to allow both high temporal and spatial resolution sub-nanoparticle analysis, and (3) dye-sensitized PEM to improve sensitivity in the chemical identification of single vesicle contents. The integrated educational activities of the project are designed to close learning gaps in undergraduate electrochemistry education, broaden student participation in STEM research, eliminate achievement gaps among diverse groups of students, and engage students from the local community in STEM-related activities.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.