Modification of nanoporous alumina membranes with poly(acrylic acid) and alkyl amines.
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The goal of this project is to modify the surface of nanoporous alumina membranes with ligands that can capture specific biomolecules for the sensitive detection of biomarkers for various diseases. Nanoporous alumina membranes have been treated with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), resulting in the adsorption of PAA on the surface within the nanopores. This provides a convenient and versatile functional handle, a carboxylic acid, on the surface of the nanopores for further chemical modification. These PAA-adsorbed nanomembranes were then reacted with different alkyl amines in the presence of coupling agents, which resulted in the attachment of these alkyl compounds to the surface via covalent amide bonds. These surface modifications within the nanoporous membranes have been confirmed and characterized using techniques such as infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ability of these surface-modified nanomembranes to distinguish between molecules based upon size and charge has been explored in transport experiments. The methods for the modification of the nanomembranes, the characterization of the modified membranes, and the results of the transport experiments are presented in this poster.
