Research in our group addresses a variety of problems concerned with the structural and dynamic properties of molecular assemblies at solid and liquid interfaces. One of the long-term goals is design of protein and DNA micro-array sensors. The fundamental problems of current interest include behavior of antibody-antigen equilibria in a field of small mechanical forces, mobility of amphiphiles at the air/water interface, dynamic properties of the aqueous liquid-vapor interface, and electron tunneling across monolayer films. In our research, we rely on the fluorescence microscopy, electrochemical methods, Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett techniques and Brewster angle microscopy, grazing angle X-ray diffraction and reflectivity, and ESR spectroscopy. Our interest is devoted to and divided between biophysical/bioanalytical as well as interfacial chemistry areas. Each is briefly outlined below.

The goal of the biophysical/bioanalytical projects is to establish a novel paradigm in immunoassay analysis that underlines a new generation of reagentless, disposable, protein micro-sensors and sensor arrays capable of performing simultaneous, multi-component immunoassay analysis using smaller samples, and requiring less involved procedures with equal or superior sensitivity. Fundamental aspects of this research explore two novel and potentially transformative ideas: 1) Can application of mechanical forces be used to shift the position of chemical equilibria such as those governing antibody-antigen binding? 2) What is the effect of spatial confinement on the dynamics of such equilibria?

Our interests in interfacial chemistry concern the dynamic phenomena and properties of monolayer assemblies at the air/water interface. Using electrochemical methods and purposefully designed "line" micro-electrodes combined with Langmuir techniques, we can access directly the dynamics of molecular events in amphiphilic monolayers on the water surface. Lateral diffusion of amphiphiles, phase transitions, surface crystallization and domain formation, lateral electron hopping and proton mobility, immersion depth of polar head-groups and interfacial water structure and viscosity at the air/water interface are being investigated. These phenomena are of fundamental significance and are directly relevant to the understanding of phospholipid bilayers and membrane processes. The most recent direction in this line of research involves lateral mobility of soluble spin probe surfactants, TEMPO, PROXYL and their derivatives in Gibbs monolayers on the water surface using both 2D electrochemistry as well as electron spin resonance methods. Our recent work showed that the lateral mobility of these small probe molecules along the air/water interface can be related to the mobility of the interfacial water molecules and thus offer new insights concerning dynamic properties of the aqueous interfacial region.