NOVEL UV OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES FOR SENSITIVE SPECTROSCOPY OF BIOMOLECULAR FILMS

描述(由申请人提供)： 在这里，我们建议开发一种基于光波导的紫外(UV)光谱仪器，用于研究生物分子薄膜组件中前所未有的灵敏度。单模集成光波导(IOW)对分子膜的衰减全反射(ATR)吸收光谱具有极高的灵敏度，并在蛋白质膜的可见光区得到了成功的应用。然而，由于缺乏足够的光波导材料，限制了该技术在紫外区的推广，这是一个严重的限制，因为生物分子物种的最重要的光谱指纹位于深紫外区(300-190 nm)，例如蛋白质氨基酸色氨酸、酪氨酸和苯丙氨酸的芳香族基团。紫外光兼容光波导的成功开发将使我们能够在紫外区(450-190 nm)实现高灵敏度的单模IOW ATR光谱仪。在本项目中，我们将重点关注i)能够在紫外光谱范围内产生低传播损耗的单模低电平的光学材料和工艺，以及ii)单模IOW-ATR光谱仪的新型结构，该结构将极大地简化其用于研究固-液和固-气界面的分子组装的使用。为了验证新技术的能力，我们将把它应用于几个案例研究，包括对蛋白质在界面上行为的具体调查。 蛋白质和其他生物分子在固体表面的固定和吸附在基于固相的生物分析技术、生物相容材料和生物传感器的发展中至关重要。更详细和准确地了解蛋白质是如何吸附的，以什么量和构象吸附，并建立物理/化学环境与其生物活性之间的系统关联，对于设计用于植入物的新的生物界面工艺和生物材料，对于创造新的生物医学诊断和药物输送系统，是一项基本的知识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose here the development of an optical waveguide-based spectroscopic instrumentation in the ultra-violet (UV) region for research of unprecedented sensitivity in biomolecular thin-film assemblies. Single-mode, integrated optical waveguides (IOW) have shown to provide the ultimate sensitivity to perform attenuated total reflection (ATR) absorption spectroscopy of molecular films and has been successfully demonstrated in protein films at the visible spectral region. However, the lack of adequate optical waveguide materials has limited the extension of the technique into the UV region, which represents a serious limitation as most important spectroscopic fingerprints of biomolecular species are located in the deep UV (300 -190 nm) region, e.g. the aromatic groups of the protein amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. The successful development of UV-compatible optical waveguides will allow us to implement a highly sensitive, single-mode IOW ATR spectrometer at the UV spectral region (450 -190 nm). In this project we will focus on the critical and enabling developments of i) optical materials and process that can produce single-mode lOWs with low propagation loss in the UV spectral range, and ii) a novel architecture for the single-mode, IOW-ATR spectrometer that will greatly simplify its use for the investigation of molecular assemblies at the solid-liquid and solid-gas interfaces. To validate the capabilities of the novel technology, we will apply it to several case studies including specific investigations of protein behavior at interfaces. Immobilization and adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules to solid surfaces is critical in the development of solid-phase-based bioanalytical techniques, biocompatible materials, and biosensors. Gaining a more detailed and accurate understanding of how proteins adsorb, in what amount and conformation, and establishing a systematic correlation between the physical/chemical environment and their bioactivity is an essential knowledge for designing novel biointerfacial processes and biomaterials for implants, and for creating new biomedical diagnostics and drug delivery systems.