The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a new nanomaterial technology used to measure molecules that are labeled with radioisotopes at very low concentrations. This new technology will enable real-time measurement of new biochemical reactions directly in water-based solutions. In addition, this new nanomaterial technology will be broadly applicable for environmental and energy-related studies involving radioactive materials. The proposed technology addresses several limitations of existing commercial methods by reducing waste generation and disposal, enabling time-dependent measurements, enabling measurements inside of living cells, and providing simultaneous detection of multiple chemical types. This project will enable academic and industrial users to perform new biochemical and biological studies and expand the ability to measure diverse classes of important molecules, driving further innovation in multiple market spaces.
This I-Corps project is based on the development of a series of nanomaterial technologies that generate light (scintillate) in the presence of radioisotopes and radioisotope-labeled compounds. The nanomaterial scintillator technology enables high-sensitivity detection of important molecules that cannot be measured using other techniques. Fine-tuning the chemical and physical properties of these nanomaterials enables them to be functional directly in aqueous environments, thereby allowing dynamic measurements of important biochemical systems. The unique nanomaterial architectures are functional in common commercial instrumentation, lowering the barrier to adoption and substantially reducing waste generation, as well as lowering back-end costs. The proposed project will explore translation of these technologies.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
