This poster summarizes my research background in material sciences and sensor development.  Crystalline Colloidal Arrays (CCA) composed of highly charged, monodispersed colloids that self assemble into highly ordered fcc or bcc photonic crystal structures diffract light at different wavelengths depending on their crystal lattice spacing.  My research focuses on the development of polymerized crystalline colloidal array (PCCA) sensors for different analytes.  The interaction between a particular molecular recognition agent incorporated in the PCCA hydrogel and the analyte actuates hydrogel volume transitions, which result in Bragg diffraction shifts due to a change in the lattice spacing.  The previous approaches required a molecular recognition agent for each analyte.  We here demonstrate a novel recognition motif based on the inherent binding affinity of analytes to molecularly imprinted PCCA hydrogels.  A PCCA hydrogel film was infiltrated with a solution containing acrylic acid as the monomer and L-phenylalanine as the analyte.  Upon photo polymerization an interpenetrating network (IPN) formed within the PCCA.  Imprinted cavities form with a size, shape and functionality which bind the analyte with high affinity.  Binding of the analyte to the imprinted PCCA matrix results in hydrogel volume transitions.  The molecularly imprinted point-of-care photonic crystal sensors find applications in diagnosis and monitoring of a genetic disease, PKU (phenylketonuria).  I have cultivated my research interests in developing novel nanomaterials that have applications in the field of environmental analytical chemistry.  An outline of one of my proposed research plans about the development of photoluminescent composite nanostructures as sensor platform for environmental analysis is demonstrated.

From nanomaterials research to environmental analysis

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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