Surface Architecture to Control Guest Behavior in Monolayers for Sensors

这个项目是在分析和表面化学的一般领域和在界面结构和动力学的子领域。在这项为期三年的持续资助中，Wirth教授和她的学生将研究客体分子与共价键合的单层有机膜宿主相互作用的动力学和取向分布。本作品的具体主题是通过宿主单层的结构设计来控制客人的行为。对主客单分子层相互作用的理解将有助于设计用于快速和特异性分子识别的传感器。在这个项目中研究的宿主单层结构的特定方面是结构有序单层的发展，致密单层中缺陷形状的控制，以及共价液晶单层中密度的作用。利用皮秒荧光各向异性和荧光显微技术研究这些寄主单层的取向特性和旋转扩散动力学。Wirth教授和她的学生将从扫描隧道显微镜、椭偏仪和接触角测量中获得确凿的数据。这项研究进一步加深了对具有共价结合薄膜宿主的客体分子的基本认识，这对于合理设计具有显著灵敏度和分子选择性的传感器器件至关重要。

This project is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfield of interfacial structure and dynamics. During the tenure of this three-year continuing grant, Professor Wirth and her students will investigate the dynamics and orientational distributions of guest molecules interacting with covalently bonded, monolayer organic film hosts. The specific theme of this work is the control of guest behavior through structural design of the host monolayer. An understanding of guest-host monolayer interactions will facilitate the design of sensors for rapid and specific molecular recognition. The particular aspects of host monolayer architecture being investigated in this project are the development of structurally ordered monolayers, the control of defect shapes in dense monolayers, and the role of density in covalent, liquid crystal monolayers. The guest properties of orientation and rotational diffusion dynamics in these host monolayers will be probed by picosecond fluorescence anisotropy and fluorescence microscopy. Professor Wirth and her students will derive corroborative data from scanning tunneling microscopy and ellipsometric and contact angle measurements. %%% This research furthers the basic understanding of guest molecules with covalently bound thin film hosts that is essential to the rational design of sensor devices which have a significant degree of sensitivity and molecular selectivity.