RESEARCH:
Vibrational spectroscopy has been used (infrared and Raman) as a diagnostic of conformation and the structure of molecules and molecular assemblies. Water being a poor scatterer of radiation makes the Raman process an excellent tool to investigate phenomena occurring in aqueous medium. When a molecule is adsorbed on a noble metal surface great amount of signal enhancement is observed (Surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy SERS). This surface enhancement is used for the detection of single bio-molecules. Another topic of interest is the study of the structural characteristics of reconstituted and supported membranes and membrane bound proteins. Interactive forces between molecules are investigated by AFM and scanning with chemically modified tips.
Conventional optical techniques limit the resolution by l/2 ( Abbe’s limit). The Near-Field techniques will enable resolutions at nanometer level. There is a strong focus in our lab for developing Apertureless SNOM.