With this award, funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Bo Zhang of University of Washington is developing a new analytical microscopy method; namely fluorescence-enabled electrochemical microscopy (FEEM), for imaging transient dynamic redox processes with large electrochemical arrays. A fundamental underlying concept of this research is the conversion of an electrical signal to fluorescence so that optical microscopy can be used to monitor a redox species such as dopamine. This project will develop FEEM as a tool for understanding molecular transport, neuronal activity, and neuron-neuron communication in the brain. The broader impacts are addressed through the recruitment of women and members of underrepresented groups to participate in this science. The project provides interdisciplinary student training in the areas of electrochemistry, sensor design and development, microscopy, and nanofabrication and characterization.
Electrochemical imaging is vital for numerous applications such as fundamental understanding of the electrode/solution interface, catalyst screening, and neuronal secretion. Previous methods have limited temporal resolution and are difficult to study stochastic redox events. This project will address these challenges by developing and utilizing very large electrochemical arrays of microelectrodes in FEEM systems. Indeed, in the ideal, this FEEM approach should enable the simultaneous reading of millions of microelectrodes to image transient parallel redox events. As such, this project aims to establish FEEM as a useful analytical tool that could be adopted by other scientists in a range of disciplines including neurochemistry, environmental analysis, and electrocatalyst screening.
