With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor Kenneth Nicholson from Northeastern Illinois University and colleagues Stefan Tsonchev and Emina Stojkovic will acquire a nanoscope control station and software package to be added to a scanning probe microscope (SPM) with electrochemical capabilities already present at this institution. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) structure of bacteriophytochromes (Bphs) in aqueous media, both wild-type and fluorescent mutant variants in their respective light- and dark-adapted states; (b) topography and mechanism of fruiting body formation in myxobacteria, specifically initiated by Bphs in Stigmatella aurantiaca; and (c) exploration the biosensing capabilities of Bphs as thin films.
This award will provide a control station to enable operation of a scanning probe microscope and to provide resolution at the nanometer scale. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has become a fundamental analytical technique to investigate adherence of species, including biological specimens, on a surface. The data which is obtained provides insights on the physical structure of the adsorbates and their properties. Applications are numerous, for example in developing biosensing devices or efficient photovoltaivc cells. This acquisition will enable faculty and undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University to carry out research on state-of-the-art instrumentation. Students will receive invaluable multidisciplinary research training on state-of-the-art instrumentation through a newly developed cross-department surface chemistry and dynamics course as well as independent research projects with faculty mentors in areas of growing in importance in the field of nanoscience.
