Analytical Sciences with Nanoporous Materials

纳米多孔材料可以被合理地设计来提高材料在化学和生化分析中的应用所需的性能。在我们的计划中，我们正在研究自组装和制造的材料制造方法，以制造在生命科学中应用的器件和表面。我们的重点是DNA和蛋白质分离，以及多肽、蛋白质和代谢物的质谱学。制造技术使我们能够设计纳米多孔介质的孔大小、有序和材料性质，而已知的表面化学合成技术使我们能够进一步控制材料的性质和性能。我们正在研究分离和质谱仪样品电离中出现的性能改进，这源于我们的制造技术提供的材料工程。我们将能够改进分析性能，或创造新的分析手段，使用我们制造纳米多孔材料的方法。对材料及其孔隙率的出色工程控制也使我们能够探索分离和电离质谱学中涉及的机制。我们开发的技术在生物分子分析中有应用，并将支持继续寻找能够提供早期疾病检测的重要生物标记物，并帮助理解生命的基本引擎。

Nanoporous materials can be rationally designed to enhance the desired properties of a material for applications in chemical and biochemical analysis. In our program we are examining both a self-assembled and a manufactured methodology for material fabrication to create devices, and surfaces, with applications in the life sciences. Our focus is on DNA and protein separation, and in peptide, protein and metabolite mass spectrometry. The fabrication techniques allow us to engineer the pore size, order and material properties of the nanoporous media, while known surface chemistry synthetic techniques allow us to further control the properties and performance of the materials. We are examining the performance improvements that occur in separation, and in sample ionization for mass spectrometry, which arise from the material engineering our fabrication techniques provide. We will be able to improve analytical performance, or create new means of analysis, using our methods of fabrication of nanoporous materials. The excellent engineering control over the materials and their porosity also allows us to explore the mechanisms involved in separation, and in ionization for mass spectrometry. The techniques we develop have applications in the analysis of biomolecules, and will support the continuing search for important biomarkers that can provide early disease detection, and aid out understanding of the fundamental engines of life.