Award Abstract #0116345
Construction of Near Field Optical Probe for Bioinspired Research and Education

NSF Org:	CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
Initial Amendment Date:	July 31, 2001
Latest Amendment Date:	November 30, 2004
Award Number:	0116345
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Leon Esterowitz CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems ENG Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:	December 1, 2001
Expires:	November 30, 2005 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$384694
Investigator(s):	Steven Eppell sje@po.cwru.edu (Principal Investigator) Massood Tabib-Azar (Co-Principal Investigator) Kenneth Singer (Co-Principal Investigator) Andrew Rollins (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Case Western Reserve University Sears Library, 6th Floor CLEVELAND, OH 44106 216/368-4510
NSF Program(s):	MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION
Field Application(s):	0203000 Health
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 5345, 0000
Program Element Code(s):	1189

ABSTRACT

0116345

Eppell

This is a proposal to: (1) build a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) capable of phase, fluorescence, polarization and second harmonic generation modes, and (2) build a modified NSOM that will use a solid metallic tip, rather than a fiberoptic tip, as an aperatureless near field optical probe. The proposed NSOM, having all of the features desired, cannot be purchased commercially. The investigators will purchase all of the major components, and then modify and assemble them to yield the desired instrument. This equipment will be used in a number of biomedical engineering research projects which include studies on: (1) the mineralization of artificial bone, (2) synapse function in neurons, (3) self-assembled fluorosomes for cancer-targeted gene delivery, (4) liquid crystal alignment on solid substrates, and (5) labeled proteins in the membranes of T cells.

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