The dynamic behavior of molecules and nanoparticles in confined environments, such as at interfaces and within porous materials, lead to complex and highly-varied phenomena, where heterogeneity may arise from spatial variation of the material/interface itself, from structural configurations, or through inhomogeneous dynamic behavior. To obtain relevant information about these complex dynamics, we have developed highly multiplexed single-molecule/single-particle tracking methods that acquire &gt;10<sup>5</sup> trajectories in a given experiment; automated unbiased data analysis methods are used to interpret these large data sets.  A specific discovery that was enabled by these methods involves the ubiquitous intermittent motion (i.e. “hopping diffusion”) of molecules at liquid-solid interfaces, which has been described within the context of a continuous time random walk (CTRW) model. Recent work in our lab has extended the tracking methods to acquire fully 3D trajectories, enabling tracking of individual molecules and nanoparticles in complex environments, including porous media. Results will be shown that provide new insights into the transport of nanoparticles within inverse opals and polymeric ultrafiltration membranes.

Tracking molecules and nanoparticles to probe confined environments

256th National Meeting (2018)

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