Studies in nanoscale interface and materials science

该提案描述了纳米尺度表面、界面和材料科学的广泛计划，重点是：i)在摩擦学和软硬材料的纳米（nm）长度尺度上定量力学和化学性能的耦合；Ii)开发操纵活细胞的新方法，并以接近单分子检测的灵敏度进行高时间、空间（10s nm）和光谱分辨率的研究；iii)研究金属表面水形成的动力学。纳米摩擦学研究的重点是了解摩擦、润滑和磨损的基本机制，包括基于同步加速器的XANES成像、成像纳米测量，以及最近以纳米/小时速率测量磨损的独特新方法。纳米尺度的生物学工作包括在微流体通道中创建图案，光学透明的底物，其中标记的活细胞可以在选定的化学和物理扰动之后，在释放和替换之前，通过共聚焦和近场光学技术暂时固定/图案研究。因此，我的研究项目的发现资助部分将支持以下几个主要领域的研究：1)材料超低磨损率的研究；材料和抗磨膜力学性能的温度依赖性研究（纳米蠕变）开发更灵敏（~ 10 pN）的力补偿探针，用于使用干涉检测方法进行材料研究；2)开发和应用新的力补偿探针，用于力测量，并用作光学探针和其他探针的平台，用于研究活细胞膜上分子的运输（单分子；< 10 exp18 L体积采样）；微流体通道内的生物相容性和生物活性的表面图案；3)与UBC的赫本共同开发探测氢和氧在铂表面反应产生的水的内能态的技术。

The proposal describes a broad program of nanoscale surface, interface and materials science with emphasis: i) on the coupling of quantitative mechanical and chemical properties at nanometer (nm) length scales in tribology and in soft and hard materials; ii) on the development of new methods of manipulating live cells and studying them with high temporal, spatial (10s of nm) and spectroscopic resolutions at sensitivities approaching single molecule detection, and iii) the study of the dynamics of the formation of water on metal surfaces. The nanotribology studies are focused on understanding the basic mechanisms of friction, lubrication and wear, and involve synchrotron-based XANES imaging, imaging nanoindation, and, most recently, unique new methods of measuring wear at the nm/hr rate. The nanoscale biology work involves creation of patterned, optically transparent substrates contained within microfluidic channels in which labeled live cells can be temporarily immobilized/patterned for study by confocal and near field optical techniques after chosen chemical and physical perturbations, before release and replacement. The Discovery Grant component of my research program will therefore support research in several main areas: 1) the study of ultralow wear-rates of materials; study of the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of materials and antiwear films (nanoscale creep); development of much more sensitive (~ 10 pN) (force compensated probes for materials research using interferometric detection methods; 2) the development and application of the new force-compensated probes for force measurements and for use as platforms for optical and other probes for the study of trafficking of molecules at the membranes of live cells (single molecule; < 10exp-18 L volume sampling); patterning of surfaces within microfluidic channels for biocompatibility and bioactivity; 3) joint developments with Hepburn at UBC of techniques to probe the internal energy state of water produced by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen on platinum surfaces.