Collaborative Research: N-Heterocyclic Carbene Functionalized Metal Films and Nanoparticles for Next-Generation Surface-Enhanced Spectroscopy and Sensing

在这个项目中，由化学系的大分子，超分子和纳米化学项目资助，圣母大学的Jon Camden和Marya Lieberman教授以及田纳西大学的大卫詹金斯教授正在开发强大的，可重复使用的，高度特异性的纳米颗粒，用于复杂生物和化学系统中化学物质的超灵敏检测。 为了应对这一挑战，对这些纳米颗粒的表面进行了特殊和独特的化学改性。在表面改性之后，这些颗粒可以用作特定分子的传感器。这项工作还侧重于设计可用于低资源环境和药物测试的新分析方法。 高度协作的性质将有利于在这些实验室工作的学生。 这项研究的成功有可能影响广泛的传感器应用，如成像细胞，检测痕量污染物，并在实验室环境之外分析样品。 等离子体纳米颗粒和等离子体组件的独特光学性质在过去几十年中推动了新的传感和成像模式的爆炸。 从基础研究到商业应用的研究证明了功能化金属纳米结构的广泛影响。 在这项工作中，一种基于N-杂环卡宾的改造功能化方法被用于表面增强拉曼光谱（Sers）。 这项合作专门针对过氧化氢再生传感器和具有扩展范围的体外pH传感器。 此外，程序建立，使NHC官能化的薄膜和胶体可用于非专业观众提出了一个“一锅”合成改性表面从传统的咪唑鎓。 这些演示将展示这项新技术对更广泛的化学传感社区的有效性。

In this project, funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry program of the Chemistry Division, Professors Jon Camden and Marya Lieberman of the University of Notre Dame and Professor David Jenkins of the University of Tennessee are developing robust, reusable, and highly specific nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of chemical species in complex biological and chemical systems. To meet this challenge, special and unique chemical modification of the surface of these nanoparticles is done. After modification of the surfaces, these particles can be applied to serve as sensors for specific molecules. This effort is also focusing on devising new methods of analysis that can be used in low-resource environments and drug testing. The highly collaborative nature will benefit students working in these labs. The success of this research has the potential to impact a wide range of sensor applications such as imaging cells, detecting trace contaminants, and analyzing samples outside of a laboratory setting. The unique optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles and plasmonic assemblies has driven an explosion of new sensing and imaging modalities over the past several decades. The wide-reaching impact of functionalized metallic nanostructures is evidenced by studies which range from fundamental research to commercial applications. In this work, a transformative functionalization approach based on N-heterocyclic carbenes is employed for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This collaborative effort specifically targets a regenerative sensor for hydrogen peroxide and an in vitro pH sensor with expanded range. Additionally, procedures are established that make NHC functionalized films and colloids available to a non-specialist audience by proposing a "one-pot" synthesis of modified surfaces from conventional imidazoliums. These demonstrations will showcase how effective this new technology is for the broader chemical sensing community.