This award is for the development of an instrument with an anticipated optical spatial resolution below 20 nm and with simultaneous topographical information. The instrument will also have multiple methods of detection of both electronic state and vibrational bond information for single-molecule identification. The microscope's ability to image in solution with these capabilities will be unique. The microscope will image the fluorescence from almost any visible chromophore without changing filters or excitation wavelength, an aspect that will dramatically simplify the optical system. This proposed instrument will improve upon the nominal >75 nm resolution limit of today's NSOMs to a level that will allow identification of individual closely packed proteins in a biologically friendly environment.
The versatility of the instrument will permit analyzing more than the biological samples described within this proposal. Prototypes built by the PI and collaborators have imaged carbon single walled nanotubes (SWNT) as well as novel polymer systems at sub 25 nm spatial optical resolutions. The proposed instrument can easily be adapted for use in materials science for analyzing structures of semiconductor wires and other inorganic 1-D and 2-D materials on the nanoscale, as well as signal detection improvement schemes for nanometrology.
In the process of development, the proposed instrument will have the added benefit of bringing together researchers in mathematics (modeling), biology, physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. The broad understanding necessary to develop cutting edge NSOM instrumentation will benefit students as well by teaching them very strong technical skills, cross-disciplinary training, and the ability to bring different fields together to answer important scientific questions. After completion this microscope will be available to answer other biological and materials research questions, and there will be commercial possibilities.
