Project ’09- Fluorescent Nanowire
Growth
William Neely
Mentored by: Bret Flanders
Welcome to my K-State Physics REU 2009 homepage. Here
you can find out more about what I’m doing this summer along with information about myself and some useful links to help you
understand what I’m doing. I will also try to keep a diary of what I have
accomplished each day.
Project Goals: To grow a nanowire using the Directed Electrochemical Nanowire
Assembly (DENA) technique that fluoresces when attaching to a biological
cell.
Research Strategy: Started by reading an incredible number of papers. For those interested, the
following papers are rather interesting:
Directional
Growth of Polypyrrole and Polythiopene
wires, Thapa, et al.
Directional
Growth of metallic and polymeric nanowires, Thapa, et al.
Monitoring
Protein-Polymer Conjugation by a Fluorogenic Cu(I)-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne
1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition, Dirks, et al.
A Stepwise Huisgen Cycloaddition Process: Copper(I)-Catalyzed Regioselective
“Ligation” of Azides and Terminal Alkynes, Sharpless, et al.
Any
paper on an electrochemically polymerized thin film.
After buying the materials I tried to grow thin films of Poly(para-phenylene) (ppp) and 2-Aminofluorene (2AF). Both were successful but 2AF
apparently doesn’t fluoresce L Currently
trying to grow a wire of PPP.
Also learned how to grow a nanowire
using a solution of 10 mM EDOT (Ethylenedioxythiopene)
and 20 mM SDS (Sodium Dodecyl
Sulfate).
Then learned how to grow films on glass slides using previous solution and a
solution of 0.1M Pyrrole and 0.1M SDS. Lastly, learned how to create electrodes on slides by evaporating
chromium and then gold onto the slide.
Poly(para-phenylene):
Film grown,
fluorescent spectra recorded
No nanowire growth
2-Aminofluorene (2AF)
Film grown, film is
found to be non-fluorescent, the monoanion of 2AF is
non-fluorescent even though the neutral and cation
are fluorescent
No nanowire growth
PEG/Pyrrol
Solution
Film grown, no readily available way to determine whether PEG was incorporated so project cut off
Final Presentation: Located
here
Final Poster: On display in the hallowed hall of physics at Southwestern College. But an image of it is here.
Useful Links:
American Physical Society Statements on Ethics
My Research group's home page