This research project funded by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program will focus on the development of mass spectrometric methods to detect and measure the properties of molecular machines that are 1000 times smaller than the diameter of the finest strand of hair. Prof. David V. Dearden and his group at Brigham Young University will develop new methods for mass spectrometric sampling of fragile assemblies of molecules ("supramolecular nanodevices") in order to probe their behavior and function. They will compare the measurements with results of models of the same devices in order to test the predictive capabilities of the models. This basic science will lay a foundation for the development of such devices as molecule-sized containers that might one day be used to deliver pharmaceuticals to tissues where they are needed, or as information storage devices. Molecular containers could also be applied in waste remediation and resource recovery, in fuel storage for new sources of energy, or in the development of highly sensitive, highly selective chemical detectors for use in homeland security, chemical process quality control, environmental monitoring, etc. Prototypical molecular wheel-and-axle assemblies will also be studied, with an eventual aim of developing simple switches in nanotech-based computers. The techniques developed should also be useful for the study of "nature's nanotechnology" (biology).
The proposed work will have important educational benefits. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained in high performance mass spectrometry techniques that are crucial to current areas of great scientific promise, such as the effort to completely characterize protein expression in cells. This work will in addition lead to important cross-fertilization between scientists who study mass spectrometry and the fundamental behavior of charged molecules, and those who are directly involved in building and applying nanomachines, strengthening and enhancing the science done by both groups.
