MDR Vacation Bursary Project: Nano-scale semiconductor light-emitting and distance sensing probe for combined super-resolution fluorescence and topographical live imaging
by Steven Linfield
By Steven Linfield, undergraduate student , Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences
The area of electrochemistry that this project focuses on is electrochemical deposition. By applying a voltage across a solution, electro-active species can either gain electrons (reduction) or lose electrons (oxidation). Since the electrons are passed through the electrodes, electro-active species tend to gather around the electrode that they interact with. By holding the potential at a constant value, the electro-active species is constantly deposited onto the electrode. This offers a cheap, efficient and simple method for synthesis of many materials.
The aim of the project is to achieve the electrochemical deposition of two semiconductors onto two electrically conductive carbon nano-wires. One of the semiconductors will be nitrogen-doped zinc selenide, an n-type semiconductor, and the other will be gallium-doped zinc selenide, a p-type semiconductor. The formation of a p-n junction, between the two carbon nano-wires, will be attempted, allowing the nano-wires to be used as a nano-scale LED. The light emitted from this LED could be used to excite fluorescent molecules such as green fluorescent protein, which would enable super resolution fluorescence live imaging.
Electrochemistry is a vast area of research and the Southampton electrochemistry department has a great reputation. This Vacation Bursary project has given me a great deal of work experience, which will be useful for a future career in chemistry. I have learned many electrochemistry techniques, which will stay with me throughout my career. I have also been taught the principles of electrochemistry, something that will be useful in later modules of my degree.
Categories: Blog. Tags: Dr Guy Denuault, epsrc, fluorescence, imaging, light-emitting, MChem, nanoscience, nanotechnology, probe, semiconductor, Steven Linfield, super-resolution, topographical live imaging, and vacation bursary. Project names: Nano-scale semiconductor light-emitting and distance sensing probe for combined super-resolution fluorescence and topographical live imaging.