The objective of the proposed collaborative research is to develop a plasmonically enhanced optical ring resonator (PEORR) sensor array for unlabelled biomolecule detection at the single molecule level. The proposed hybrid sensor synergizes microfabricated ring resonators and nanofabricated plasmonic nanostructures. It takes advantage of the excellent sensing resolution associated with the ring resonator and the tremendously enhanced sensitivity arising from the plasmonic nanostructures to achieve single molecule detection, and of the carousel effect from the ring resonator for efficient capture and transport of biomolecules for sample enrichment and expeditious detection.
Intellectual Merit: Detection and study of biomolecules at the single molecule level allow to probe and characterize molecules in unprecedented detail. Traditional single molecule detection relies primarily on fluorescence microscopy, which requires sophisticated instruments and complicated dye labeling processes that may adversely affect a molecules functionality.
Broader Impact: The proposed project will be carried out synergistically by the terms from the University of Michigan and the Polytechnic Institute at New York University. Graduate students will be trained in interdisciplinary science and will work in each of the two labs through an exchange program. Undergraduate students will be paired with graduate students to obtain hands-on experience. Videos on Youtube will be jointly created to publicize the research findings. Finally, the PI will work with local non- Ph.D. granting colleges to develop a summer program for their students to conduct research in the PI's lab at the University of Michigan.
