Molecular Plasmonics: Single Molecules, Single Nanoparticles and Scanning Probe Microscopy

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。化学系的分析和表面化学(ASC)计划支持西北大学理查德·P·范·杜因教授的研究计划。Van Duyne教授和他的同事们正在开发新的概念和实验工具来研究四个主题。首先，探讨了单分子表面增强拉曼光谱的分子共性。单分子表面增强拉曼光谱是目前唯一一种用于化学鉴定单分子结构的实验方法，代表了分析灵敏度的极限。其次，实现单分子表面增强拉曼散射所需的纳米颗粒的结构将使用空间相关的高分辨率电子显微镜来获得。第三，该项目将探索将铝作为一种新的等离子体材料用于紫外光表面增强拉曼光谱。最后，将使用几种新的实验方法来更深入地探索分子等离子体的基本原理。其中包括单纳米粒子光谱和尖端增强拉曼光谱。该项目将从根本上对吸附在表面上的单分子的化学产生新的理解，并将影响许多科学和技术领域，如分子电子学、用于医疗诊断的超灵敏生物分析和染料敏化太阳能电池。将为该项目工作的毕业生、学生和博士后研究员将接受培训，成为独立和创新的研究领导者。Van Duyne教授和他的同事将继续与芝加哥艺术研究所的Francesca Casadio博士合作研究表面增强拉曼光谱和尖端增强拉曼光谱在艺术保护科学问题上的应用。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." The Analytical and Surface Chemistry (ASC) program of the Division of Chemistry supports the research program of Professor Richard P. Van Duyne at Northwestern University. Professor Van Duyne and his coworkers are developing new concepts and experimental tools to study four topics. First, molecular generality of single molecule surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy will be explored. At present single molecule SERS is the only experimental method to chemically identify the structure of single molecules and represents the ultimate limit in analytical sensitivity. Second, the structures of the nanoparticles required for the implementation of single molecule SERS will be obtained using spatially correlated high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Third, the project will explore the use of aluminum as a new plasmonic material for ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Finally, several new experimental methods will be employed to more deeply probe the fundamentals of molecular plasmonics. These include single nanoparticle spectroscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This project will lead to fundamentally new understanding of the chemistry of single molecules adsorbed on surfaces and will impact many areas of science and technology such as molecular electronics, ultrasensitive bioassays for medical diagnostics, and dye sensitized solar cells. The graduates student and postdoctoral fellow who will work on this project will be trained to become independent and innovative research leaders. Prof. Van Duyne and his coworkers will continue their collaborative research with Dr. Francesca Casadio at the Art Institute of Chicago on the applications of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to problems in art conservation science.