My Work
My research covers a broad range of areas in analytical and bioanalytical chemistry and optical spectroscopy including xerogels and chemical sensing.
Xerogels are nano porous glasses with very tiny pores laced throughout them. We can control how those pores function and chemically behave. Through my work with xerogels I have been able to create a more environmentally friendly anti-faulting coating for boat surfaces.
With chemical sensing we can detect anything from small volatile gasses that might be dangerous to small molecules, such as drugs or pharmaceuticals in addition to larger species like proteins or biotoxins.
I work with faculty in other subfields in chemistry as well as with researchers in departments that include surgery, electrical engineering, and computer science and engineering. As a co-founder of the university-funded multidisciplinary Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors (CUBS), I am part of a group that aims to provide key enabling technologies to build engineered systems with a focus on human health and homeland security applications.
As part of my work with CUBS, I am working with several colleagues across the university on a grant funded by the John R. Oishei Foundation to develop a rugged, inexpensive Breathalyzer-type device that will contain thousands of chemical sensors "trained" to recognize complex chemical patterns, some of which are known biomarkers for certain diseases. The goal is to develop an inexpensive tool for rapid, early screening of multiple diseases, like cancer.
My Research
Xerogels are nanoporous glasses that are produced under ambient conditions. In the materials science arena xerogels have been used to create everything from high quality optics to low-k materials, thermal insulation, stationary phases, and platforms for catalysis. We are focusing on the molecular-level details within xerogels with an eye toward developing: (1) anti-fouling coatings and (2) chemical sensors.
Anti-fouling Coatings
In collaboration with UB professor Dr. Michael R. Detty, we have demonstrated that xerogel-based coatings can be used to create robust anti-fouling coatings for fresh water and marine applications. Current research is focusing on elucidating the dynamics that occur at these interfaces and quantifying the nanoscale chemistry that occurs within and on the xerogel nanopores.
Chemical Sensors
We have created molecular memories within xerogels by using a concept called molecular imprinting. In this approach we take a molecule of interest, or target, and literally imprint it within the xerogel and create a template site. The templated xerogel can then recognize the target if it is present in a sample. In collaboration with Drs. Alexander N. Cartwright, Venu Govindaraju, and Albert H. Titus of UB and Dr. Wesley L. Hicks Jr. of Roswell Park Cancer Institute we are evaluating these molecularly imprinted xerogels for: (i) toxic agent detection; (ii) disease diagnostic systems using human breath; and (ii) tracking wound repair at the protein level.