The laboratory for photonics of surfaces and interfaces

在我们的现代世界--高度复杂的合成化学和制药以及健康科学的非凡发展--对特定分子的监测正变得越来越重要。检测生物、药物和化学物质或检测(癌症)患者的疾病指纹蛋白质、酶和抗原需要尽可能具体和迅速地进行。有时，即使是在线信息也是必不可少的，例如在手术或药物生产中的合成程序中。这项分析研究的一个趋势是小型化和使用表面而不是体积传感器。这将允许将“传感器”放置在关键位置，例如进入患者的组织或血管。拟议的研究集中在三个主题上。首先，高灵敏度光学传感器的工程将把化学信息转化为物理上可测量的量。其次，化学识别反应的优化表面设计将允许高特异性，避免假阳性。第三，将建立一种新的技术来研究细胞-基质相互作用，例如用于促进植入技术。这些光学换能器、波导器和金纳米颗粒的表面在运行过程中携带着一层“光膜”，可以检测周围材料的变化。携带识别位点的分子通过化学方法固定在传感器表面。如果合适的分子存在于环境溶液或空气中，他们就能够进行识别反应。光的偏振也被考虑在内。天然的光学活性蛋白质会改变光的偏振方向。翻转的能力取决于分子的内在结构，以及它们的生物学功能。将开发一种传感器来检测蛋白质的分子内在结构，这种结构只有微量可用。

In our modern world - with its highly sophisticated synthetic chemistry and pharmacy and the extraordinary developments in health sciences - monitoring of specific molecules is gaining an increasing importance. The detection of biological, pharmaceutical and chemical agents or the detection of sickness-fingerprinting proteins, enzymes and antigens in (cancer) patients needs to be carried out as specific and quickly as possible. Sometimes even on-line information is essential, e.g. during surgery or a synthesis routine in pharmaceutical production. A trend in this analytical research is miniaturisation and the use of surfaces instead of volume sensors. This will allow to place the "sensor" at critical positions, e.g. into tissue or a vessel of a patient. The proposed research focuses on three subjects. Firstly, the engineering of highly sensitive optical transducers will translate chemical information into a physically measurable quantity. Secondly, the design of optimised surfaces for chemical recognition reactions will allow for high specificity avoiding false positives. Thirdly, a new technology will be established to study cell-substrate interaction, e.g. for fostering implant technology. The surfaces of these optical transducers, waveguide devices and gold nanoparticles, carry a "film of light" during operation which detects changes in the ambient material. Molecules carrying a recognition site are immobilised on the sensor surface by chemical means. They are able to perform a recognition reaction if the fitting molecule is present in the ambient solution or air. The polarisation of light is also taken into account. Natural optically active proteins turn the polarisation direction of light. The turning power depends on the molecular intrinsic structure, as well as their biological function. A sensor will be developed detecting the molecular intrinsic structure of proteins, which are available only in minute amounts.