Plasmonic sensing in extreme environments

等离子体激元已成为理论科学和应用科学的主流研究领域。灵敏和广泛应用的传感设备的前景导致了等离子体传感器在化学、生物和环境应用中的展示。我的研究计划将重点放在化学分析中等离子体传感的发展，用于检测全血中的分子，用于监测细胞和神经元的细胞分泌事件，以及用于检测潜在生命来源中的生命构件，这些都是化学分析中未得到满足的需求。全血传感是在护理地点成功使用血浆传感器的最后障碍之一。全血的复杂性对等离子体传感器的分子选择性提出了挑战。在第一个研究轴中，我们将发展用于全血预处理的微透析等离子体的概念，以利用全血中直接表达的抗生素和抗体的表面等离子体共振(SPR)来感知护理点。第二个研究轴旨在监测细胞或神经元分泌的分子，这是分子传感领域的当代挑战。我们最近引入了等离子体纳米管传感的概念，这是一种用金纳米颗粒装饰的纳米级毛细管，用于表面增强拉曼散射分析(SERS)。细胞或神经元分泌的分子将与等离子体纳米管相互作用，动态测量SERS响应将提供有关细胞和神经元细胞外环境的分子信息。随着这项技术的发展，我们的目标是为研究神经疾病的生物学提供一个定量的工具。生命的起源令科学家和普通大众着迷。因此，最后一个研究轴将为这一领域做出贡献，探测分子位于假定的生命来源中的生命起源。热液喷口或其他地球化学源中的生命构件的地球化学合成是一种可能的生命来源。此外，最近的报告显示了火星上液态水的光谱特征，将发起一系列考察，以研究火星水的含量。我将开发等离子体传感器，使极端地球化学环境中的SERS测量能够识别和量化生命的构成要素，如在热液喷口条件下的氨基酸、糖和其他小分子。成功开发用于探测生命构件的SERS传感器最终将有助于测量热液喷口流体的成分，或可能有助于测量其他有液态水的行星上的成分。这一激动人心的等离子体化学分析研究计划将为临床诊断提供新的工具，为细胞和神经元的生物医学研究做出贡献，并为探索生命的起源做出贡献。

Plasmonics has become a mainstream research area in pure and applied sciences. The promise of sensitive and broadly applicable sensing devices led to the demonstration of plasmonic sensors in chemical, biological and environmental applications. My research program will focus on the development of plasmonic sensing in chemical analysis for the detection of molecules in whole blood, for monitoring cellular secretion events of cells and neurons, and for the detection of the building blocks of life in the potential sources of life, all unmet needs in chemical analysis. Whole blood sensing is one of the last barriers for the successful use of plasmonic sensors at the point-of-care. The complexity of whole blood challenges the molecular selectivity of plasmonic sensors. In the first research axis, we will develop the concept of microdialysis plasmonics for whole blood pre-processing for point-of-care sensing with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of antibiotics and antibodies expressed in the course of the leukemia treatment directly in whole blood. The second research axis aims at monitoring molecules secreted by cells or neurons, a contemporary challenge in molecular sensing. We have recently introduced the concept of sensing with plasmonic nanopipettes, which are nanoscale capillaries decorated with gold nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman scattering analysis (SERS). The molecules secreted by cells or neurons will interact with the plasmonic nanopipette and dynamic measurement of the SERS response will provide molecular information about the extracellular environment of cells and neurons. With the development of this technique, we aim at providing a quantitative tool to study the biology of neurological diseases. The origin of life is fascinating scientists and the general public. The last research axis will thus contribute to this field with the detection molecules at the origin of life in putative sources of life. The geochemical synthesis of the building blocks of life in hydrothermal vents or other geochemical sources is a possible source of life. Also, the recent report showing the spectroscopic signature of liquid water on Mars will launch a series of expeditions to study the content of the Martian water. I will develop plasmonic sensors enabling SERS measurements in extreme geochemical environments to identify and quantify the building blocks of life such as amino acids, sugars and other small molecules in hydrothermal vents conditions. The successful development of a SERS sensor for detecting the building blocks of life will ultimately facilitate the measurement of the composition of hydrothermal vent fluids or potentially on other planets with liquid water. This exciting research program on chemical analysis with plasmonics will provide new tools for point of care clinical diagnostics, for biomedical studies of cells and neurons and to contribute to the quest of the origin of life.