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Enhanced infrared ellipsometry for adsorbed proteins
Abstract
Applications of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) have expanded considerably in recent years, taking advantage of its sensitivity to optical properties and thicknesses of surface layers. Especially significant has been the increasing application to organic and polymer materials. Meanwhile, infrared spectroscopy has long been used as a diagnostic in the realm of biological materials. The combination of these two techniques into infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE) holds the possibility of providing depth information and increased sensitivity to enhance the chemical analysis of biomaterials on surfaces. However, IRSE signals due to protein monolayers are not always strong enough to allow spectral intrepretation, especially when the interesting absorption bands overlap. This dissertation describes the instrumentation and computational aspects of the fusion of these two techniques. A description of protein structure and the general form of the resulting dielectric function (optical constants) are given. Enhancement of protein signatures in IRSE by patterned surfaces to increase adsorption is proposed and the effects on IRSE data are calculated for a number of proposed structures. Finally, one of these structures, porous alumina, is used to demonstrate the signal enhancements for a number of common proteins.
Subject Area
Electrical engineering|Biomedical engineering
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Daniel William, "Enhanced infrared ellipsometry for adsorbed proteins" (2004). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3152620.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3152620