The aim of this thesis is the creation of a set of tools for the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D) that aid in the measurement and quantification of soft viscoelastic thin films and experimental work demonstrating their use. The QCM-D is an acoustic technique that monitors structural changes occurring at the sensor's surface via changes in the sensor's resonance frequency and the rate of mechanical energy loss (dissipation). As a first approximation, the frequency shifts are used to measure mass changes on the sensor's surface, and dissipation shifts used to quantify changes in the rigidity of the film. Use of the QCM-D responses in this manner requires that the film is acoustically thin and rigid, limiting its application to soft films. To quantify mass and viscoelastic changes using the QCM-D, soft films either need to be approximated to a thin, rigid layer, or the frequency and dissipation responses modelled using a viscoelastic model. Such an approximation leads to the encompassment of all the viscoelastic properties into the single dissipation measurement in addition to potentially introducing errors in mass calculations. Existing commercial software allows for the deconvolution of film parameters such as the shear modulus and viscosity by fitting experimental data to a viscoelastic model. This analysis can only be done after the experimental data is collected however, and provides no guidance on future experiments, also commonly requiring an initial estimate of the parameter values under investigation. I have developed an experimental optimisation tool, termed the total parameter matrix sensitivity (TPM-sensitivity). It is defined as the Jacobian determinant of the QCM-D responses with respect to the parameters under investigation, e.g. the film's height, density, viscosity and shear modulus and the bulk fluid's density and viscosity. TPM-sensitivity is a measure of how readily resolvable and separable the film and bulk are when analysing the QCM-D responses. This enables the user to select the most mathematically important harmonics, and using this I was able to experimentally resolve the viscoelastic information of a soft film using frequency responses alone. I have also defined a classification system which categorises the QCM-D responses relative to a perfectly rigid and thin film. This provides guidance on the level of analysis required to gain information about the film parameters, with the limitations of commonly applied rules of thumb also demonstrated. Examples using these computational tools and metrics are also presented with data I obtained experimentally and from the literature. Of the experimental investigations, the curing process of a bulk elastomer is of particular importance due to the film being both soft and acoustically thick, demonstrating QCM-D use for a film not complying to either of thecommonly used film approximations.

<p>When developing applications for self-assembling nanostructures, a challenge is to organize the self assembling components within integrated nano-microsystems. One approach is to impart nanostructure recognition properties to patterned surfaces, such that nanostructure placement could be thermodynamically driven. This research focuses upon self assembling nanostructures composed of DNA and their reversible specific assembly upon functionalized planar surfaces. Assembly strategies that have been developed for solution phase assembly are herein demonstrated as potentially appropriate for heterogeneous nanosystem integration.</p><p>The assembly of DNA nanostructures relies upon unique base pair interactions between single strands. While DNA hybridization that involves many base pairs results in structures that are strongly bound, an assembly strategy that underlies much DNA nanostructure engineering is formation of nanostructures at temperatures at which the interactions are weak. Here, DNA specific nanostructure immobilization is driven by weak forces. Association is characterized using surface sensitive surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance methods. The results suggest that future strategies for nanostructure - system integration that require precise nanostructure placement may be accomplished using specific molecular recognition under thermodynamic control.</p><p>Several methods of solution phase nanostructure characterization are explored. The diffusive properties of DNA nanostructures are examined using dynamic light scattering. Effective hydrodynamic radii are found to be large relative to the nanostructure geometric size. The temperature dependence of light scattering from nanostructures is investigated using both resonance light scattering and nonresonant laser light scattering. Additionally, DNA nanostructure building block and superstructure geometry are interrogated in solution using small angle x-ray scattering. Results derived from comparison of small angle data with simulations of scattering from coarse-grained models are compared with structural information derived from imaging immobilized nanostructures with atomic force microscopy. </p><p>Finally, plasmon coupling in systems comprised of metal particles of unlike composition is described. Through simulation, three phenomena that contribute to interparticle coupling are explored. Off resonant metal particles positioned in between pairs of particles near resonance are found to promote optical coupling in a manner similar to that provided by bulk dielectric media.</p> / Dissertation

For centuries scientific ingenuity and innovation have been influenced by Mother Natures perfect design. One of her more elusive designs is that of the sensory olfactory system, an array of highly sensitive receptors responsible for chemical vapor recognition. In the animal kingdom this ability is magnified among canines where ppt (parts per trillion) sensitivity values have been reported. Today, detection dogs are considered an essential part of the US drug and explosives detection schemes. However, growing concerns about their susceptibility to extraneous odors have inspired the development of highly sensitive analytical detection tools or biosensors known as electronic noses. In general, biosensors are distinguished from chemical sensors in that they use an entity of biological origin (e.g. antibody, cell, enzyme) immobilized onto a surface as the chemically-sensitive film on the device. The colloquial view is that the term biosensors refers to devices which detect the presence of entities of biological origin, such as proteins or single-stranded DNA and that this detection must take place in a liquid. Our biosensor utilizes biomolecules, specifically IgG monoclonal antibodies, to achieve molecular recognition of relatively small molecules in the vapor phase.

The object of this thesis research is to facilitate the appraisal and analysis of the signatures of the modern acoustic wave biosensors, as well as to improve the experimental methodology to enhance sensor performance. For this purpose, both theoretical characterization of acoustic wave sensor signatures and experimental studies for the most frequently used acoustic wave biosensors, the liquid phase QCM (quartz crystal microbalance) and the vapor phase SAW (surface acoustic wave) sensors, are presented. For the study of SAW vapor phase detection, the author fabricated different types of two-port SAW resonator sensors on quartz substrates and designed and performed a significant number of detection experiments. These were conducted both with calibrated or known target samples under laboratory conditions at Georgia Tech Hunt Lab and with samples of unknown concentrations such as seized crack cocaine (courtesy of Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GBI) to see the sensors capability to work in the field conditions. In addition, the dependence of the SAW sensor signatures on specific locations of the surface perturbation was investigated to account for some observed abnormal responses. Finally, a novel approach to classify and visualize chemically analogous substances is introduced. The author expects that the thesis work herein may contribute to the study of the modern acoustic wave biosensors which includes but is not limited to: the establishment of underpinning theory that will aid in the evaluation of the signatures; the practical aspects of design and fabrication of SAW devices specific to the vapor phase immunoassay; the development of efficient experimental methodologies; the strategic immobilization of a biolayer on SAW resonator based biosensors; and, the acquisition of reference data for the development of commercial acoustic wave sensors.

No description available.

A demanda crescente por meios de armazenar eficientemente energia elétrica tem incentivado a busca de materiais que melhorem o desempenho específico de dispositivos armazenadores de carga elétrica. Dentre os materiais a base de carbono, destaca-se o grafeno e seus derivados como tendo grande potencial para aumentar o desempenho de tais. Nesse trabalho, estudam-se duas abordagens para a imobilização de grafeno sobre condutores metálicos e o efeito que essas tem na eletroquímica dos sistemas. De maneira geral, evitou-se a utilização de polímeros como aglutinantes na construção de eletrodos, visto que esses podem interferir negativamente na eletroquímica do sistema (além de não serem condutores elétricos, não têm nenhum benefício em relação a aumento de capacitância do eletrodo). As metodologias estudadas podem ser separadas em duas categorias, sendo essas a de eletrodos obtidos por deposição eletroforética de derivados de grafeno e imobilização de grafeno sobre condutores metálicos pelo uso de camadas orgânicas, que servem de ponto de ancoragem para os derivados de grafeno. Os eletrodos foram então caracterizados eletroquimicamente, visando principalmente seu uso em capacitores eletroquímicos. Dentre as técnicas utilizadas para tal, destacam-se o uso de voltametria cíclica e espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, além de técnicas não eletroquímicas como espectroscopia Raman, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, microscopia de força atômica e microbalança de cristal de quartzo. De modo geral, pode-se observar que a deposição eletroforética é uma maneira simples de obter eletrodos modificados, e apresenta alta reprodutibilidade. O fato de não possuírem outros compostos químicos que não o grafeno, além de serem altamente rugosos, mostrou que esses eletrodos tem desempenho capacitivo muito bom, sendo o método de obtenção do grafeno e a maneira escolhida para deposição diretamente responsáveis pela morfologia obtida. A construção de eletrodos pela ancoragem de grafeno foi feita com base na (eletro)química de sais de diazônio, que se mostrou bastante promissora quanto a capacidade de se obter uma ligação química estável entre as folhas de grafeno e o metal. A alta reatividade dos sais de diazônio, no entanto, se mostrou danosa a eletroquímica do grafeno, sendo que tais eletrodos não apresentaram nenhuma característica que justificasse seu uso em capacitores eletroquímicos. Assim, os avanços e desafios restantes em relação a essas abordagens na construção capacitores eletroquímicos com alto desempenho específico encontram-se aqui detalhados. / The increasing demand for efficient electrical energy storage devices has pushed research towards materials with potential to increase the specific performance of such devices. Among the carbon-based materials, one that has been heavily studied as a potential candidate to accomplish such feat is graphene and its chemical derivatives. In this work, two methodologies to accomplish graphene immobilization over metallic current collectors are approached, as well as the effects that such approaches have on the electrochemistry of the resulting electrodes. As a general guideline, the usage of polymeric binders as ways of keeping good mechanical stability are avoided, due to their tendency to negatively impact the system\'s electrochemistry (not only they\'re normally electrical in sulators, they also don\'t usually possess any intrinsic electroactivity that could enhance the electrode\'s capacitance). The methodologies in study can be separated into two categories, namely, electrophoretic deposition and usage of organic molecules as anchoring points to attach graphene sheets to the surface. Such electrodes were characterized by a number of electrochemical technics, most prominently cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the group of electrochemical technics, and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance in the group of non-electrochemical technics. Electrophoretic deposition of graphene is proved to be a very straightforward and reproducible way to obtain modified electrodes. Since no chemical compound other than the graphene derivatives are necessary, and that the final electrodes have very rough surfaces, such electrodes have very high capacitance, and those characteristics are direct consequence of the chosen method. Anchoring graphene derivatives on the surface of metallic conductors by the (electro)-chemistry of diazonium salts is shown to be a promising method to achieve strongly bound graphene sheets to a surface. The high reactivity of diazonium salts, though, hampers the electrochemical activity of graphene, and no electrodes suitable to be used in electrochemical capacitors were obtained. In summary, the advances and remaining challenges towards the use of such methodologies in the construction of electrochemical capacitors are presented here.

La détection de gaz est un enjeu de plus en plus important, aussi bien dans le domaine de la surveillance de la qualité de l’air -intérieur et extérieur- que dans le suivi de procédés. Cet enjeu est d’autant plus critique dans le cas des composés organiques volatiles (COVs) que leur impact sur la santé publique est avéré. Détecter et quantifier leur présence devient une problématique majeure et différentes solutions existent. L’une d’elles, basée sur le couplage d’une nano-poutre résonnante et d’une micro colonne de chromatographie, s’avère être une solution prometteuse. Ces deux dispositifs alliant sélectivité et grande sensibilité nécessitent cependant une fonctionnalisation à l’aide d’une couche sensible. Ces travaux se sont focalisés sur le développement de matériaux sensibles de la famille des SiOCH déposés en couche mince par dépôt chimique en phase vapeur assisté par plasma (PECVD). L’étude de la réponse sous gaz des différents matériaux synthétisés au cours de cette thèse a été réalisée à l’aide de microbalances à cristal de quartz (QCM). Les mesures obtenues ont ensuite été corrélées à un modèle simple permettant de proposer une interprétation de l’interaction entre les SiOCH et le gaz d’intérêt, à l’équilibre mais aussi en régime dépendant du temps. La première partie de l’étude montre l’impact de la composition chimique de ces matériaux sur leur affinité envers un gaz représentatif des COVs aromatiques : le toluène. En s’appuyant sur des caractérisations physico-chimiques, le rôle de différentes liaisons chimiques ainsi que celui de l’hydrophobie des couches minces sur l’interaction avec le gaz d’intérêt a été analysé. Ces travaux montrent qu’un compromis entre composition chimique et hydrophobie doit être trouvé afin de préserver affinité et temps de réponse des SiOCH. L’étude de l’influence de la porosité sur la sensibilité a ensuite été abordée dans un second temps. Pour cela, des procédés originaux de réalisation de couches minces poreuses ont été développés afin de proposer de nouveaux matériaux poreux et d’accroître leur sensibilité vis-à-vis du toluène. Les limites de l’approche soustractive généralement utilisée pour ce type de matériau (i.e. l’approche porogène) ont pu ainsi être dépassées en termes de porosité et de tailles de pores. Concernant la détection de gaz, il s’avère difficile de décorréler l’impact de la chimie de celui de la porosité. Quoi qu’il en soit, l’augmentation de la porosité ouverte n’apparait pas comme le seul paramètre pertinent pour accroître la sensibilité de ces matériaux aux faibles concentrations. / Gas detection is a growing field, both for indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring and for process monitoring. It is indeed particularly critical in the case of volatile organic compounds (VOC) whose impact on public health is proven. Detecting and quantifying their presence becomes a major problem and various solutions are available. One of them, based on the coupling of a resonant beam and a chromatography micro column, appears to be a promising solution. Those two devices combine selectivity and high sensitivity; however, they require functionalization with a sensitive layer. This work focused on SiOCH thin films deposited by PECVD. The gas interaction of the sensitive layers deposited during this work was studied using quartz crystal microbalances (QCM). The obtained measurements were then correlated to a simple model, providing an interpretation of the interaction – for steady-state but also kinetic regime - between the SiOCH and the gas of interest. The first part of the study shows the impact of the chemical composition of those materials on their affinity for toluene, representative for aromatic VOCs. Relying on physico-chemical characterization techniques, the role of various chemical bonds on the solid/gas interaction was investigated. This work shows that a compromise between chemical composition and hydrophobicity has to be reached to preserve SiOCH affinity and temporal response. The influence of porosity was then explored in a second step to further increase the sensitivity of those materials. Original deposition processes were developed in order to propose new porous materials with higher toluene affinity. The limits of the subtractive approach generally used for these PECVD materials (i.e. the porogen approach) were then overcome in terms of porosity and pore size. Concerning gas detection, it is difficult to decorrelate between the impact of chemistry and porosity. Whatever, increasing porosity does not appear to be the only relevant parameter in order to increase these materials affinity at low concentrations.

A demanda crescente por meios de armazenar eficientemente energia elétrica tem incentivado a busca de materiais que melhorem o desempenho específico de dispositivos armazenadores de carga elétrica. Dentre os materiais a base de carbono, destaca-se o grafeno e seus derivados como tendo grande potencial para aumentar o desempenho de tais. Nesse trabalho, estudam-se duas abordagens para a imobilização de grafeno sobre condutores metálicos e o efeito que essas tem na eletroquímica dos sistemas. De maneira geral, evitou-se a utilização de polímeros como aglutinantes na construção de eletrodos, visto que esses podem interferir negativamente na eletroquímica do sistema (além de não serem condutores elétricos, não têm nenhum benefício em relação a aumento de capacitância do eletrodo). As metodologias estudadas podem ser separadas em duas categorias, sendo essas a de eletrodos obtidos por deposição eletroforética de derivados de grafeno e imobilização de grafeno sobre condutores metálicos pelo uso de camadas orgânicas, que servem de ponto de ancoragem para os derivados de grafeno. Os eletrodos foram então caracterizados eletroquimicamente, visando principalmente seu uso em capacitores eletroquímicos. Dentre as técnicas utilizadas para tal, destacam-se o uso de voltametria cíclica e espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, além de técnicas não eletroquímicas como espectroscopia Raman, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, microscopia de força atômica e microbalança de cristal de quartzo. De modo geral, pode-se observar que a deposição eletroforética é uma maneira simples de obter eletrodos modificados, e apresenta alta reprodutibilidade. O fato de não possuírem outros compostos químicos que não o grafeno, além de serem altamente rugosos, mostrou que esses eletrodos tem desempenho capacitivo muito bom, sendo o método de obtenção do grafeno e a maneira escolhida para deposição diretamente responsáveis pela morfologia obtida. A construção de eletrodos pela ancoragem de grafeno foi feita com base na (eletro)química de sais de diazônio, que se mostrou bastante promissora quanto a capacidade de se obter uma ligação química estável entre as folhas de grafeno e o metal. A alta reatividade dos sais de diazônio, no entanto, se mostrou danosa a eletroquímica do grafeno, sendo que tais eletrodos não apresentaram nenhuma característica que justificasse seu uso em capacitores eletroquímicos. Assim, os avanços e desafios restantes em relação a essas abordagens na construção capacitores eletroquímicos com alto desempenho específico encontram-se aqui detalhados. / The increasing demand for efficient electrical energy storage devices has pushed research towards materials with potential to increase the specific performance of such devices. Among the carbon-based materials, one that has been heavily studied as a potential candidate to accomplish such feat is graphene and its chemical derivatives. In this work, two methodologies to accomplish graphene immobilization over metallic current collectors are approached, as well as the effects that such approaches have on the electrochemistry of the resulting electrodes. As a general guideline, the usage of polymeric binders as ways of keeping good mechanical stability are avoided, due to their tendency to negatively impact the system\'s electrochemistry (not only they\'re normally electrical in sulators, they also don\'t usually possess any intrinsic electroactivity that could enhance the electrode\'s capacitance). The methodologies in study can be separated into two categories, namely, electrophoretic deposition and usage of organic molecules as anchoring points to attach graphene sheets to the surface. Such electrodes were characterized by a number of electrochemical technics, most prominently cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the group of electrochemical technics, and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance in the group of non-electrochemical technics. Electrophoretic deposition of graphene is proved to be a very straightforward and reproducible way to obtain modified electrodes. Since no chemical compound other than the graphene derivatives are necessary, and that the final electrodes have very rough surfaces, such electrodes have very high capacitance, and those characteristics are direct consequence of the chosen method. Anchoring graphene derivatives on the surface of metallic conductors by the (electro)-chemistry of diazonium salts is shown to be a promising method to achieve strongly bound graphene sheets to a surface. The high reactivity of diazonium salts, though, hampers the electrochemical activity of graphene, and no electrodes suitable to be used in electrochemical capacitors were obtained. In summary, the advances and remaining challenges towards the use of such methodologies in the construction of electrochemical capacitors are presented here.

QCM sensor is a response to a kind of broad spectrum, high sensitivity, and simple structure, low-cost detection device, and particularly its quality as a type of gas sensor is widely used. With the successful oscillation in liquid phase, QCM sensor has been involved in the application analytical chemistry, surface chemistry, biochemistry and environmental monitoring side and many other scientific fields. With sensitive surface film as the sensitive element, AT-cut quartz crystal as energy transducer components by changes of the relationship between mass of surface film and frequency of QCM sensor transduces signals of mass or concentration into output frequency signal of sensor, thus achieve changes of mass or concentration detection. This paper mainly states how to design a low-cost QCM system platform with Arduino microcontroller board based on QCM sensor specific properties. For the oscillator circuit selection and differential frequency circuit design, the shield board has properly matched Arduino Mega2560, then by programming code to make Arduino acquire frequency of QCM sensor in real-time. Meanwhile, the interface and data store are corresponding convenient for real- time observing and data post-processing. By the tests of anhydrous ethanol evaporation, QCM system platform was calibrated and Sauerbrey equation verification. Moreover, this paper studies that photocatalytic degradation processing of Rhodamine B (RB) and methyl orange solution at the Surface of nanocrystalline TiO2 by QCM sensor.

Due to the escalating challenge of antibiotic resistance in bacteria over the past several decades, interest in the identification and development of antibiotic alternatives has intensified. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which serve as part of the innate immune systems of most eukaryotic organisms, are being researched extensively as potential alternatives. However, the mechanism behind their bactericidal capabilities is not well understood. Previous studies have suggested that AMPs may first attach to the cell membranes, leading to pore formation caused by peptide insertion, lipid removal in the form of peptide-lipid aggregates, or a combination of both mechanisms. In addition to the lack of mechanistic knowledge, a significant hurdle in AMP-based drug development is their potential cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Understanding AMP interactions with eukaryotic model membranes would allow therapeutics to be tailored for preferential action toward specific classes of bacterial membranes. In this study, we developed novel methods of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) data analysis to determine the fundamental mechanism of action between eukaryotic and bacterial membrane mimics and select membrane-active AMPs. A new technique for creating supported membranes composed entirely of anionic lipids was developed to model Gram-positive bacterial membranes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging was also used to capture the progression of AMP-induced changes in supported lipid membranes over time and to validate our method of QCM-D analysis. QCM-D and AFM were used to investigate the molecular-scale interactions of four peptides, alamethicin, chrysophsin-3, sheep myeloid antimicrobial peptide (SMAP-29) and indolicidin, with a supported zwitterionic membrane, which served as a model for eukaryotic cell membranes. Since established methods of QCM-D analysis were not sufficient to provide information about these interaction mechanisms, we developed a novel method of using QCM-D overtones to probe molecular events occurring within supported lipid membranes. Also, most previous studies that have used AFM imaging to investigate AMP-membrane interactions have been inconclusive due to AFM limitations and poor image quality. We were able to capture high-resolution AFM images that clearly show the progression of AMP-induced defects in the membrane. Each AMP produced a unique QCM-D signature that clearly distinguished their mechanism of action and provided information on peptide addition to and lipid removal from the membrane. Alamethicin, an alpha-helical peptide, predominantly demonstrated a pore formation mechanism. Chrysophsin-3 and SMAP-29, which are also alpha-helical peptides of varied lengths, inserted into the membrane and adsorbed to the membrane surface. Indolicidin, a shorter peptide that forms a folded, boat-shaped structure, was shown to adsorb and partially insert into the membrane. An investigation of rates at which the peptide actions were initiated revealed that the highest initial interaction rate was demonstrated by SMAP-29, the most cationic peptide in this study. The mechanistic variations in peptide action were related to their fundamental structural properties including length, net charge, hydrophobicity, hydrophobic moment, accessible surface area and the probability of alpha-helical secondary structures. Due to the charges associated with anionic lipids, previous studies have not been successful in forming consistent anionic supported lipid membranes, which were required to mimic Gram-positive bacterial membranes. We developed a new protocol for forming anionic supported lipid membranes and supported vesicle films using a vesicle fusion process. Chrysophsin-3 was shown to favor insertion into the anionic lipid bilayer and did not adsorb to the surface as it did with zwitterionic membranes. When introduced to supported anionic vesicle films, chrysophsin-3 caused some vesicles to rupture, likely through lipid membrane disruption. This study demonstrated that molecular-level interactions between antimicrobial peptides and model cell membranes are largely determined by peptide structure, peptide concentration, and membrane lipid composition. Novel techniques for analyzing QCM-D overtone data were also developed, which could enable the extraction of more molecular orientation and interaction dynamics information from other QCM-D studies. A new method of forming supported anionic membranes was also designed, which may be used to further investigate the behavior of bacterial membranes in future studies. Insight into AMP-membrane interactions and development of AMP structure-activity relationships will facilitate the selection and design of more efficient AMPs for use in therapeutics that could impact the lives of millions of people per year who are threatened by antibiotic-resistant organisms.