US-Sweden Cooperative Research: Investigation of InterfacialPhenomena by Ellipsometry, Acoustic Shear, and Electro- chemical Techniques

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This award will support collaborative research between Dr. David Paul, University of Arkansas, and Professor Ingemar Lundstrom, Department of Physics and Measurement Technology, Linkoping University, Sweden. The objectives of this research are to clarify how the piezoelectric crystal (quartz crystal microbalance) functions as a sensor in the liquid phase. In addition, the investigators will study how the microviscosity of the sensor/solution interface is affected by conformation changes in large protein molecules next to the surface. If the potentially useful piezoelectric sensor is to be used to analyze important biological molecules, fundamental questions regarding protein interactions with the surface of the sensor must be answered. It is proposed that the interaction of "simple" proteins with the mechanically oscillating surface of the sensor can be completely described with the data collected from combined ellipsometric and electrochemical experiments. This joint effort will bring together Swedish expertise in ellipsometry with U.S. expertise in piezoelectric sensors to examine this question. The results of this research should provide new insights into the use of piezoelectric crystals for sensors and add to the information on how solvents and proteins interact with metal surfaces. Discovering which variables in the sensor surface/solution interface cause a frequency shift should be beneficial in applying the sensor to practical systems. In addition, measurements from the piezoelectric sensor can also provide information on how the microviscosity of the liquid in contact with the protein is affected by conformational changes of the protein. This data may then be used to further develop practical applications of the piezoelectric sensor in the liquid phase. Potential applications are in the areas of biotechnology, clinical analysis, and genetic engineering.