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Applications of Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques to the characterization of a variety of monolayer systems
Abstract
This dissertation describes the preparation and the characterization of a variety of monolayer systems using Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. The transfer of organized monolayers to solid surface is an elegant approach to designing molecular structures with known orientation and spacing. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer technique and the self-assembled (SA) monolayer method were both used to produce organized molecular systems on solid supports. Recent interest in both the characterization and application of monolayer structures has stimulated a body of research in chemistry, biology and associated technologies. Almost all of the available surface characterization techniques have been applied to obtain a better understanding of the nature of monolayer systems. In particular, surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectroscopy appears to be one of the most promising of these techniques, because of its high sensitivity with molecular specificity. Additionally, electrochemical techniques can complement SERRS, for quantification of the adsorbed species and for calculation of the surface area of specific monolayer components. The relationship between surface coverage and SERRS was examined for a cyanine dye dispersed in LB monolayers containing fatty acids as an inert diluent. It is shown that the SERRS intensities of the dye maximize at submonolayer dye coverage. It was demonstrated that monolayer systems can be constructed which are capable of a high degree of discrimination and topospecificity for a wide range of molecules, from small dye compounds to large and complex systems using the SA monolayer technique. For example, such systems are capable of discriminating between a porphyrin and a chlorophyll molecule, the latter having an additional ring in its macrocycle. Subsequent studies showed that the technique can be used to differentiate between geometric isomers and a species chemically unrelated to the template molecules. Finally, a SA monolayer using a typical channel protein was prepared, in an attempt to extend template formation techniques by using a larger, more complex protein system. This demonstrated the potential for its incorporation into a working biosensor device.
Subject Area
Analytical chemistry|Biophysics
Recommended Citation
Kim, Jae Ho, "Applications of Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques to the characterization of a variety of monolayer systems" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9004683.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9004683