Spectroscopy and imaging at the nanoscale

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Although the past decade has seen rapid developments in the application of nanosized materials such as biological sensors, flexible solar cells, drug delivery carriers, or bit elements in computers, the potential of nanoscience has yet to be fulfilled. In this context, the characterization of these nano-objects or functionalized surfaces using optical spectroscopy combined with advanced microscopy techniques offers information far beyond that provided by pure imaging techniques, as it allows the molecular properties of these materials to be correlated with their molecular structures, sizes and compositions. The possibility to investigate nanomaterials at spatial resolutions well below 1 micron is of great significance for a better understanding of their optical-mechanical-electrical properties, and their interactions and responses to external stimuli or perturbations. Similarly, it is important to probe biological processes and chemical exchanges in biological systems. A better spatial resolution or time resolution of the biochemical exchanges would lead to a more precise understanding of the fundamentals of biological processes. Our program focuses on the study of materials and biomaterials organized at the nano- and microscale using a combination of scanning probe microscopy, together with a variety of optical microscopy techniques (Raman, Fluorescence and Sum Frequency generation). Such an ensemble of complementary methods will be used to (i) determine the confinement effects in semi-conductor nanowires and graphene layers, (ii) develop ultrasensitive vibrational measurements in conjunction with plasmonic platforms for the detection of low concentration molecular systems, (iii) evaluate chemical exchanges between cells organized on modified surfaces, and (iv) dynamically measure the change in conformation of molecular receptors under various stimuli.