Large-area graphene based chemical and biological sensors

该研究计划旨在推进用于化学和生物传感应用以及石墨烯生长的电活性纳米结构石墨烯器件的基础和应用研究。石墨烯因其独特的性质而受到广泛关注，包括2010年诺贝尔物理学奖。石墨烯的这些独特性质表明其在传感器、电子学和光子学方面的直接应用，以及基础材料和表面科学研究的新途径。石墨烯对局部化学环境非常敏感。 该研究计划的核心将基于对化学和生物传感器的电响应的研究，这些传感器由（i）石墨烯电极之间连接的受体位点和（ii）石墨烯薄片上物理吸附的受体制成。该项目的第一部分（i）将基于一种有效的工艺，通过该工艺可以切割石墨烯片以产生分子尺度（~ 2 nm）的间隙。石墨烯的端帽将用羧酸官能化，羧酸可用于与胺封端的分子线（桥）反应以重新连接电路。分子桥将为生物大分子、纳米颗粒或小分子的附着引入反应位点。在第二部分（ii）中，我们将利用纳米管和纳米线为基础的传感器的最新发展。受体分子将通过芳族或多烯锚的物理吸附附接到石墨烯。目标可以通过互补化学或引导自组装结合到这些位点。化学或生物传感器的电响应曲线将使用所要求的装置进行测量。纳米纤维的方法将被用来构建这些传感器，和纳米纤维的过程将使用电传输，表面敏感技术和近端探针进行研究。拟议的工作将结合有机化学，分子生物学，纳米材料科学和光谱学的联合收割机元素。这项研究的结果将有助于指导基于石墨烯纳米结构材料的新检测方法的开发。

This research program aims to advance both the fundamental and applied study of electroactive nanostructured graphene devices for chemical and biological sensing applications and graphene growth. Graphene has gained wide attention, including the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, for its unique properties. These unique properties of graphene suggest immediate applications in senors, electronics and photonics, as well as new avenues for fundamental materials and surface science research.Graphene are very sensitive to the local chemical environment. The core of this research program will be based on the investigation of the electrical responses of chemical and biological sensors made from (i) receptor sites wired between graphene electrodes, and from (ii) physically adsorbed receptors on graphene flakes. The first part (i) of this project will be based on an efficient process by which graphene sheets can be cut to create molecular-scale (~ 2 nm) gaps. The end cap of the graphene will be functionalized with carboxylic acids that can be used to react with amine-terminated molecular wires (bridges) to reconnect the circuits. The molecular bridges will introduce a reactive site for attachment of biological macromolecules, nanoparticles or small molecules. In the second part (ii), we will take advantage of recent developments in nanotube and nanowire based sensors. Receptor molecules will be attached to graphene through the physisorption of aromatic or polyene anchors. Targets could bind to these sites through complementary chemistry or by guided self-assembly. The electrical response curves of the chemical or biological sensors will be measured using the requested apparatus. Nanofabrication methods will be used to construct these sensors, and the nanofabrication process will be studied using electrical transport, surface sensitive techniques and proximal probes. The proposed work will combine elements of organic chemistry, molecular biology, nanomaterial science, and spectroscopy. The results of this research will help guide the development of new detection methods based on graphene nanostructured materials.