EAGER: Towards Simultaneous Optical Sensing of Multiple Analytes With a Multiple Surface-Plasmon-Polariton-Wave Platform

1106503拉赫塔基亚知识分子功勋。工业过程中化学废物的扩散、农业径流中的杀虫剂、垃圾填埋场中的金属浸出，都是日益严重的水资源污染问题的例证。恐怖分子故意在国家水资源中引入杀虫剂和细菌，这是一个相关的潜在问题。今天的光学传感器被设计成一次只能检测一种分析物。如果每个传感器都能检测到多个分析物，检测速度将大大提高。理论表明，在特定的自由空间波长，金属薄膜和纳米材料的平面界面上可以激发多个表面等离子激元(SPP)波，而传统的基于表面等离子激元的光学传感技术只能激发一个SPP波。这个为期一年的项目的目的是从理论和实验上了解金属/CSTF界面用于多分析物传感的基本原理，只需一个光学传感器。利用钛氧化物和氧化钽柱状薄膜和铝薄膜的实验数据，将进行计算，以合理地绘制与CSTF沉积条件相关的多个SPP波模式的发生。铝和CSTF将沉积在常见的Kretschmann结构中，以实验验证多个SPP波模的预测。最后，将通过用水渗透CSTF并记录Kretschmann构型中的角位移来执行概念验证传感实验。在多分析物传感器的理论基础和实现之间存在两个不完整的联系。首先，必须对金属/CSTF界面引导的多种SPP波模式进行清晰而全面的实验验证。其次，溅射的金属膜也是多孔的，除了CSTF是多孔的，所以所提出的传感器的特性可能比想象的更复杂。因此，这是一个高风险的提议，因为不热衷的筹资机制将被有效地援引。成功将带来很高的回报，因为感知液体中生物化学物质的能力将大大增强。该项目将让一名美国研究生参与跨学科研究，将纳米材料合成和光学反射/透射率测量的主题联系起来。PI的捐赠教授主席将资助宾夕法尼亚州立大学一名本科生参与这项拟议的研究。这两名学生将被要求通过参加宾夕法尼亚州立大学每年举行的工程学院研究研讨会来发展他们的演讲技能。该项目还将启动与环境健康技术行业领先者加拿大魁北克GDGénEnvironment LTE集团的紧密合作，重点开发基于传感器和芯片实验室技术的新型诊断工具。

1106503 Lakhtakia Intellectual Merit. The dispersal of chemical wastes from industrial processes, pesticides from agricultural run-offs, metal leaching from landfills, all exemplify the growing problem of pollution of water resources. The deliberate introduction of pesticides and bacteria by terrorists in the nation's water resources is a related potential problem. Today's optical sensors are designed to detect one analyte at a time. If each sensor could sense more than one analyte, the rapidity of detection would be greatly enhanced.Theory has shown that more than one surface- plasmon-polariton (SPP) wave can be excited at the planar interface of a metal film and a nanomaterial called a chiral sculptured thin film (CSTF) at a specific free-space wavelength, in contrast to the only one SPP wave that can be excited in conventional platforms for SPP-based optical sensing technology. The aim of this 1-year EAGER project to theoretically and experimentally understand the underlying principles towards the use of a metal/CSTF interface for multi-analyte sensing with just one optical sensor.With experimental data available for titanium-oxide and tantalum-oxide columnar thin films and aluminum thin films, calculations will be made to reasonably map the occurrence of multiple SPP-wave modes in relation to the deposition conditions of CSTFs. Aluminum and CSTFs will be deposited in the commonplace Kretschmann configuration to verify the prediction of multiple SPP-wave modes experimentally. Lastly, a proof-of-concept sensing experiment will be performed by infiltrating a CSTF with water and noting the angular shifts in the Kretschmann configuration. Two incomplete links exist between the theoretical foundation and the realization of a multi-analyte sensor. First, clear and comprehensive experimental verification of the multiple SPP-wave modes guided by the metal/CSTF interface has to be carried out. Second, the sputtered metal film will also be porous, in addition to the CSTF being porous, so that the characteristics of the proposed sensor could be more complicated than thought. Hence, this is a high-risk proposal for non-EAGER funding mechanisms to be fruitfully invoked. Success will result in a high pay-off, as the capacity for sensing biochemicals in fluids would be greatly enhanced.Broader Impact. This project will engage one US graduate student in interdisciplinary research that bridges topics in nanomaterials synthesis and optical reflectance/transmittance measurements. The PI's endowed professorial chair will fund the participation of an undergraduate engineering student at Penn State in the proposed research. Both students will be required to develop their presentation skills by participating in the annual student-run College of Engineering Research Symposium at Penn State. The project will also initiate a tight collaboration with Groupe GDG Énvironmente Lte, Quebec, Canada, an industrial leader in environmental health technology, with a strong focus on new diagnostics tools based on sensors and lab-on-a-chip technology.