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Surface-Enhanced Detection of Molecular and Biomolecular Species

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: FA9550-05-C-0136
Agency Tracking Number: F054-025-0178
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: AF05-T025
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2005
Award Year: 2005
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2005-08-04
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2006-05-04
Small Business Information
950 North Rand Rd, Suite 123
Wauconda, IL 60084
United States
DUNS: 117950563
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: Yes
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Laurence Nafie
 Distinguished Professor
 (315) 443-5912
 lnafie@syr.edu
Business Contact
 Rina Dukor
Title: President and CEO
Phone: (847) 487-5500
Email: rkdukor@btools.com
Research Institution
 SYRACUSE UNIV.
 Trish Lowney
 
Department of Chemistry, 1-104 CST
Syracuse, NY 13244
United States

 (315) 443-2882
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

This Phase I STTR will demonstrate the feasibility of near-infrared (near-IR) excited surface-enhanced Raman optical activity (SEROA) as a sensitive new probe of biological molecules and trace chiral materials. The research will use nanoshells as fabricated and optimized at Rice University as a newly developed, tunable, highly-uniform, SERS substrates for chiral molecules and bio-molecules. The feasibility of SEROA using a standard ChiralRAMAN ROA spectrometer from BioTools, Inc. with 532 nm excitation will be determined using commercially available SERS substrates. The project continues with the assembly and testing of a near-IR 785-nm laser version of the ChiralRAMAN spectrometer. The new 785-nm ROA instrument will then be tested in three ways. 1) Its performance as a near-IR excited Raman spectrometer will be compared to the Raman performance of the 532-nm ChiralRAMAN spectrometer. 2) Its performance will next be compared to the near-IR Raman spectrometer currently operating at Rice University for which SERS measurements with tuned nanoshells have been carried out. 3) Finally, its performance as the world's first near-IR ROA spectrometer will be tested with standard liquid samples of chiral terpene molecules. From these comparisons a quantitative prognosis for developing a near-IR SEROA spectrometer using chiral tuned-nanoshells will be established.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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