Nanostructured High Surface Area Sensor Systems for Enhanced Detection

目的：该计划的目标是开发纳米结构涂层，纳米颗粒和等离子体结构，这将导致基于荧光的生物传感器平台的发展，用于即时诊断。通过使用工程等离子体结构和纳米结构的高表面积涂层，将实现与传感元件的最佳场耦合。纳米粒子内部发生热力学相互作用？将研究聚合物复合膜和基底界面以实现对演化的纳米结构的高度控制。这些结构将与各种等离子体结构集成，并将研究长程和短程表面等离子体激元。这些独特的传感器架构将通过检测肉毒杆菌和凝血酶进行验证。智力优点：智力优点是，对综合纳米结构传感架构的科学研究将推进护理点传感技术领域的研究。控制纳米粒子和聚合物系统之间的熵-熵相互作用的能力将使？自下而上制造复杂的纳米结构。这种定制的工程薄膜将作为生物测定的独特基底，以及用于等离子体纳米结构的新型光学涂层，使其能够检测极低水平的荧光信号。更广泛的影响：更广泛的影响是与健康相关的诊断工具的发展，其中该技术可以转化为国家安全，环境，能源，食品安全和制造业的诊断。该计划包括一个教育部分，涉及招聘代表性不足的学生和实践学习机会，在等离子体，纳米结构研究和生物传感领域的中学，本科生和研究生。

Objective: The objective of this program is to develop nanostructured coatings, nanoparticles, and plasmonic architectures that will lead to the development of fluorescence-based biosensor platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. Through the use of engineered plasmonic structures and nanostructured high surface area coatings, optimal field coupling to sensing elements will be achieved. Thermodynamic interaction occurring within nanoparticle?polymer composite films and the substrate interface will be investigated to achieve a high degree of control over the evolved nanostructures. These structures will be integrated with various plasmonic architectures, and the long range and short range surface plasmon polaritons will be studied. These unique sensor architectures will be validated via the detection of Botulinum and thrombin.Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit is that a scientific study on integrative nanostructured sensing architectures will advance research in the area of point-of-care sensing technologies. The ability to control the entropic-enthalpic interplay between nanoparticles and polymer systems will enable ?bottom-up? fabrication of complex nanostructures. Such custom engineered thin films will serve as unique substrates for biological assays as well as novel optical coatings for plasmonic nanostructures enabling the detection of extremely low level fluorescence signals.Broader impacts: The broader impacts are the development of health-related diagnostic tools, in which the technology can be translated into diagnostics for national security, environment, energy, food safety, and manufacturing. The program includes an educational component involving recruitment of underrepresented students and hands-on learning opportunities in the field of plasmonics, nanostructure studies, and biosensing for secondary, undergraduates, and graduate students.