This proposal is based on a hypothesis that a wide range of physico-chemical properties of nanocomposite thin film can be realized by using different surface preparation, molecules, self-assembly conditions, and post-assembly treatments, and these properties are important for bio-separations and sensing applications. PI proposes to investigate transport properties of nanocomposite membranes constructed by using layer-by-layer self-assembly process, with the specific goal of identifying material properties and method used to determine permeability to small molecules of relevance to biosensor applications. Specifically, PI plans to study transport properties of oxygen, glucose, and proton using nanocomposite materials with know transport properties such as PDMS and Nafion.
