CAREER: Single element nanophotonic force transducers using subwavelength optical waveguides

职业：使用亚波长光波导的单元件纳米光子力传感器

• 批准号: 1150952
• 负责人: Donald Sirbuly
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-04-01 至 2017-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1150952&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Single; element; nanophotonic; force

The objective of this program is to uncover a novel single element force sensing platform that is based on force-sensitive plasmonic coatings embedded in the sharp decaying evanescent field of a sub-wavelength optical waveguide. By linking plasmonic materials such as gold nanoparticles to the optical waveguides via compressible polymer coatings, a highly sensitive force transducer can be fabricated. The transducer works by utilizing a dielectric-plasmon coupling effect to provide sub-nanometer optical feedback on the position of the plasmonic material in the evanescent field. By leveraging the size, tunable elastic properties of the polymer coating, and wavelength guided in the fibers, a highly versatile force detection scheme can be configured that has sub-pico-newton force sensitivity at the same time being self-contained and mobile. The intellectual merit is that discovering new optical methods capable of quantifying forces at the nanoscale will transform our ability to monitor cellular mechanics, determine kinetics of bond formation and breakage, and optimize drug design parameters, measure elastic moduli of materials, and image surfaces not accessible by current scan probe techniques. The broader impacts are that advancing nanophotonic analytical techniques will have a significant impact on industrial research and development interested in high-throughput screening techniques used in antibody screening, drug, drug discovery, or DNA sequencing. In addition to the industrial impacts, this program will be leveraged to develop a new ?Mobile Science Lab? educational program that brings the lab to the classroom in school districts with low budgets and minimal resources to teach students about research and science.

该程序的目的是发现一个新型的单元力传感平台，该平台基于嵌入了亚波长光学波导的尖锐衰减的衰落场中的力敏感等离子涂层。通过将等离子体材料（例如金纳米颗粒）连接到通过可压缩聚合物涂层的光学波导，可以制造高度敏感的力传感器。换能器通过利用介电样本耦合效果来起作用，从而在evanescent场中的等离子材料的位置提供了亚纳米的光学反馈。通过利用大小，聚合物涂层的可调弹性特性以及在纤维中引导的波长，可以配置一种高度用途的力检测方案，同时具有亚比索 - 纽顿力敏感性，同时又具有独立且可移动。智力优点是，发现能够量化纳米级力量的新的光学方法将改变我们监测细胞力学，确定键形成和断裂动力学的能力，并优化药物设计参数，测量材料的弹性模量以及通过当前扫描探针技术无法访问的图像表面。更广泛的影响是，进步的纳米光子分析技术将对对抗体筛查，药物，药物发现或DNA测序的高通量筛查技术感兴趣的工业研发产生重大影响。除了工业影响外，该计划还将被利用来开发一个新的？移动科学实验室？教育计划将实验室带到学区的教室，这些学区的预算低，资源最少，以向学生传授研究和科学知识。