Analytical chemists do like nanotechnology! The nanotechnology researchers have produced numerous new nanomaterials and identified new phenomena that can be applied to sensing devices. One of the interesting aspects of nanotechnology is that nanodomain-sized materials produce a variety of new phenomena to use in detection schemes. For example, phenomena such as surface plasmon resonance have been extensively applied to sensing systems. In some cases as nanomagnetism, micron-sized materials produce little, if any, magnetic properties, but that same material sized in the nanodomain produces magnetic effects. In addition, new nanomaterials like quantum dots have provided analytical chemists and biochemists with a new set of non-bleaching fluorescent dyes. Layer-by-layer multilayer construction techniques produce 20 nanometer-thick materials that facilitate new sensing technologies such as long-period grating fiber optics feasible. This approach has an added advantage in that compared to microsystems, the response and reversing times are fast. Self-assembled surfaces can be structured to perform selective trapping and detection.
Yet, the nanosurface has barely been scratched. The new phenomena exhibit collaborative properties that could be utilized as a sensing regime. Quantum-well effects can be used to enhance sensitivity. New nanomaterials, especially mixed inorganic and organic nanocomposites, have demonstrated surprising analyte selectivity. Nanotechnology combined with MEMS flowing systems can be used to produce renewable surface sensors. Most of the nanocatalysis field has not been applied to analytical measurements. The goal of this presentation is to discuss where we are and where we can be when nanotechnology is applied to analytical measurements.
Back to NANO: Preparation, Characterization and Application of Nanomaterials
Back to The 36th ACS Great Lakes Regional Meeting 2004 (October 17-20, 2004)