Rich Martoglio - Nanomaterials
During the summer of 2014, students in my laboratory will be working on a variety of projects. The first of these focuses on synthesizing nanoparticles that will be used in a low-cost detection scheme for neglected tropical diseases. We will investigate various ways of chemically modifying these nanoparticles so that they will interact with the DNA of the disease and then be captured in a paper substrate. A second project will examine the use of small gold substrates for use in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This material may make it easier to perform rapid analysis of aqueous samples which might harbor chemicals of interest, such as an environmental pollutant. In the third summer project we will use electrochemical methods to examine the properties of a unique class of materials called ionogels. Students in Prof. Eppley's lab have synthesized these ionogels, which may potentially have several chemical applications. Examining the electrochemical properties of these materials is important with regards to gaining a more complete understanding of their chemical behavior.