Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Fluorescence and its many applications is a key element in the characterization of polymeric materials at the molecular level. The breadth of polymeric materials that can be probed by fluorescence is impressively wide, including those being employed for drug delivery, as solution thickeners or colloidal stabilizers, or in photovoltaics, to name but a few applications. Fluorescence accomplishes this task by monitoring the behavior of dyes that are either an integral part of the macromolecule constituting the polymeric material of interest, or bound to the macromolecule physically or covalently. The main advantage of fluorescence is its extreme sensitivity that allows its detection at polymer concentrations that are so dilute in solution or in the solid state, that it provides quantitative information about the size and internal dynamics of isolated macromolecules. To achieve the full potential of the impressive analytical capabilities of fluorescence, fluorescence experiments must be conducted on state-of-the-art instruments by experts in the field. As it turns out, the PI for this grant has employed fluorescence to characterize macromolecular systems in solution or the solid state for the past 30 years and the scientific achievements of his laboratory have been reported in over 100 scientific papers which makes him an expert in the field. All research projects conducted in his laboratory revolve around the use of a a 23-year old fluorometer. Unfortunately the old fluorometer is overused, does not provide sufficient time for all students to conduct their experiments to the fullest, is slowly failing due to the random breakdown of many of its parts which adds time-pressure for an already poorly accessible instrument, and is two-instrument-generations past the most recent fluorometers being sold by the company making it increasingly difficult to maintain. Furthermore the fluorometer does not have near infrared (NIR) detection capability, an important feature to handle novel carbon-rich materials such as fullerenes or carbon nanotubes that emit in the NIR. Consequently, this proposal is to purchase a state-of-the-art steady-state fluorometer (SSF) that can detect light in the ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis), and NIR to characterize the properties of polymeric materials. It will be the first of its kind on the UW campus. It will provide dearly needed experimental time to the students of the three co-applicants and enable them to expand the type and scope of the fluorescence experiments that are being currently conducted by the three co-applicants.