Presidential Young Investigators Award: Modification of Protein Structure Near Charged Surfaces

这项PYI研究的重点是通过利用最先进的核磁共振技术来实现对薄膜和界面传输的基本了解。几个不同的焦点领域是：在SiO_2薄膜和在Si/SiO_2界面上的氢-使用100A厚的薄膜和较低的生长温度集成电路制造导致氢的掺入增加。在二氧化硅薄膜中，氢被用来消除电性缺陷，修正氧化动力学，并改变薄膜的性质。晶体金刚石薄膜-需要更好地了解金刚石的成核和生长，以便在半导体应用中大面积沉积单晶膜。光致抗蚀剂薄膜-聚合物光致抗蚀剂薄膜中的密度变化和运动会影响优化和控制微光刻工艺的努力。荷电界面附近的蛋白质-跨生物膜的传输和几种生物分离和生物催化技术涉及荷电界面附近的蛋白质。利用核磁共振可以直接观察到与带电蛋白质和极性蛋白质片断的完全优先相互作用引起的三级蛋白质结构的变化。反胶束具有较少的化学成分和较大的表面积，为初步研究提供了一个相对简单的系统。对薄膜和界面的基本了解是微电子和生物技术行业工艺优化的重要组成部分。独特和有价值的信息是通过应用选定的核磁共振技术来研究薄膜和界面的原子级结构来阐明的。这些知识可用于开发和测试薄膜生长和界面化学的原子模型，最终目标是为所需的应用量身定做化学过程。

The focus of this PYI research is on achieving a fundamental understanding of thin films and Interfacial Transport by utilization of state-of-the-art NMR techniques. Several diverse areas of focus are: Hydrogen in SiO2 Thin Films and at Si/SiO2 Interfaces - The use of 100 A thick films and lower growth temperatures in integrated circuit manufacture leads to increased hydrogen incorporation. In SiO2 films, hydrogen is proposed to pasivate electrical defects, modify oxidation kinetics, and alter film properties. Crystalline Diamond Thin Films - Improved understanding of diamond nucleation and growth is needed in order to deposit single crystalline films over large areas, as desired for semiconductor applications. Photoresist Thin Films - Efforts to optimize and control microlithographic processes are influenced by the density variations and motion in polymeric photoresist films. Proteins Near Charge Interfaces - Transport across biological membranes and several bioseparation and biocatalysis techniques involve proteins near charged interfaces. Changes in tertiary protein structure induced by thorough preferential interaction with charged and polar protein segments can be observed directly with NMR. Reversed micelles, having few chemical components and large surface areas, provide a relatively simple system for initial study. A fundamental understanding of thin films and interfaces is a crucial components of process optimization in the microelectronics and biotechnology industries. Unique and valuable information is elucidated through the application of selected nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to study the atomic scale structure of thin films and interfaces. This knowledge can be used to develop and test atomistic models of film growth and interfacial chemistry, with the ultimate goal of tailoring chemical processes for desired application.