Development of an Optobioelectronic Switch Based on the Functionalization of Gold Nanoparticles with Photoisomerizable Thiols

MPS杰出国际博士后研究奖学金（MPS-DRF）将用于开发一种光生物电子开关，通过将金纳米粒子与可光异构化的硫醇官能化。 该项目将分为三个阶段：（1）金颗粒的合成和表征，（2）用光致异构分子对纳米颗粒进行功能化，并使用批量测量技术表征光信号的转导，以及（3）使用STM-SNOM同时提供光信号并测量功能化纳米颗粒处该信号的电化学转导。 该项目的大部分工作将由马克斯·普朗克聚合物研究所的Wolfgang Knoll小组主持，该小组将提供表面功能化和表征方面的专业知识以及实现该项目目标所需的基础设施。 一个月将花在弗朗茨Aussenegg的小组在研究所的实验物理学在卡尔-弗兰茨-大学格拉兹，奥地利，那里有专门知识与纳米光学必要使用STM-SNOM系统进行这些实验。 另一个月将与以色列耶路撒冷希伯来大学有机化学系的Itamar Willner一起度过，在那里将提供硫醇，并将获得关于在建造拟议的光生物电子开关时实施它们的建议。

An MPS Distinguished International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (MPS-DRF) will be used to develop an optobioelectronic switch by functionalizing gold nanoparticles with photoisomerizable thiols. There will be three stages in this project: (1) Synthesis and characterization of gold particles, (2) functionalization of nanoparticles with photoisomerizable molecules and characterization of the transduction of the optical signal using bulk measurement techniques, and (3) use of STM-SNOM to simultaneously provide the optical signal and measure the electrochemical transduction of that signal at a functionized nanoparticle. Most of the program will be hosted at Wolfgang Knoll's group at the Max Planck Institut fur Polymerforschung, where expertise will be provided in surface functionalization and characterization and the infrastructure necessary to achieve the objectives of this project. One month will be spent at Franz Aussenegg's group at the Institut fur Experimentalphysik at the Karl-Franzens-Universitat Graz, Austria, where there is expertise with nano-optics necessary to use the STM-SNOM system for these experiments. Another month will be spent with Itamar Willner in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, where the thiols will be provided and also advice will be obtained on implementing them in building the proposed optobioelectronic switch.