Sensitive Dual Mode Microfluidic Optomechanical Analysis of Biomolecules

该奖项的目的是利用光辐射压力在微流体光机械谐振器中激发极高频率的机械振动，然后将微流体光机械谐振器应用于分析生物分子相互作用，其中将采用光学和机械检测方法。与现有的微流控振动器件不同，微流控光机械谐振器是无电极的，振动的激发和解调都是光学实现的，突破了现有声驱动技术中的电阻抗限制，使微流控光机械谐振器能够在X波段（10 GHz）工作。在本计画中，将对微流体光机械共振器进行机械与光学分析。然后，微流体光机械谐振器将被制作和表征。最后，我们将利用微流控光机械谐振腔研究蛋白质与小分子的相互作用和蛋白质与蛋白质的相互作用，同时检测生物分子的质量和构象变化，如果成功的话，将有助于对液体中的光机械现象有一个基本的了解，并将有助于基于腔光机械原理的新型生物化学传感器的研制。它们为同时进行液体中分析物的声学和光学检测铺平了道路，从而可以对生物分子相互作用进行更详细的分析。与此同时，它们为物质的非固相中的许多其他应用打开了大门，例如高分辨率超声成像和超流体的光机械激发。

The objective of this award is to harness the light radiation pressure to excite extremely high frequency mechanical vibrations in a microfluidic optomechanical resonator and then apply the microfluidic optomechanical resonator in analyzing biomolecular interactions where both optical and mechanical detection methods will be employed. Different from the state-of-the-art in vibrating microfluidic devices, the microfluidic optomechanical resonator is electrode-less. Both excitation and interrogation of the vibrations are accomplished optically, which breaks the electrical-impedance limit typically seen in current acoustical actuation techniques and enables the microfluidic optomechanical resonator to operate at the acoustical X band (10 GHz). In the project, the microfluidic optomechanical resonator will be analyzed mechanically and optically. Then the microfluidic optomechanical resonator will be fabricated and characterized. Finally, the microfluidic optomechanical resonator will be used to study protein-small molecule interaction and protein-protein interaction where both the mass and the conformational change of biomolecules can be detected.If successful, the results will lead to a fundamental understanding of optomechanics in liquid and a new type of biochemical sensor based on cavity optomechanics. They pave the way to simultaneous acoustical and optical detection of analytes in liquid, which allows for more detailed analysis of biomolecular interactions. Meanwhile, they open a door to many other applications in non-solid phases of matter such as high-resolution ultrasound imaging and optomechanical excitation of superfluids.