Analytical Chemistry Research
Take a Tour!
Take a tour of the chemistry department facility.View More
Analytical Chemistry Research
ZnS Shell Formation on CdSe Quantum Dots and Ferrocenyl Thiol Ligand Attachment for Biocompatible Imaging and Sensing Probes
Student Researcher: Lisa Nguyen
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Maria V. Schiza
The objective of this research project is to coat Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) quantum dots with a Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) shell and to attach various ligands to make the inorganic nanoparticles compatible with biosensing technologies. CdSe/ZnS quantum dots can be very useful to biomedical imaging because they have a broad excitation range and narrow emission spectra. These characteristics make triggering and detecting the quantum dots fairly easy. These quantum dots have the potential to produce high-resolution cellular imaging on the single-molecular level. This technique will aide in the detection of cancer tumors. The imaging and sensing techniques produced from cadmium complexes will exhibit more photo stability than their organic counterparts because they do not undergo photobleaching. CdSe/ZnS quantum dots will have many possible applications in both the biomedical and environmental fields. This research project will focus on the biocompatible properties as CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are attached with organic and inorganic ligands. By studying these nanoparticles, we can help find solutions for the problems we face in our modern society.
Development of a Biosensor
Student Researcher: Jonathan Shue
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lyman Rickard
Aptamers will be modified so that they will bind to a gold surface. Once the aptamers have been bound, they will be characterized according to the concentration of their binding, how uniform their binding is, whether or not there is a pattern or relationship between the binding mechanism and whether the aptamer binds via the 5' end or the 3' end, etc. Investigation will be conducted as to the electrochemical response of the bound aptamers. By furthering the research on aptamers, it is hoped that ovarian cancer markers that are more sensitive and location-specific than current cancer markers are can be synthesized in the future.
Development of a Biosensor
Student Researcher: Sarah Geiger
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lyman Rickard
The purpose of this research project is to develop a biosensor used to detect disease markers. The initial design will bind aptomeres to a thin film of gold which will attract the disease markers being detected. Electrochemical techniques will be used to determine the effectiveness of the sensor. Characterization techniques such as atomic force microscopy and use of aptomere tagging will be used to analyze the sensor. This sensor will then be developed and improved upon to increase its effectiveness.
