The  research  of  JRL group focuses on (1) developing the nanostructured  bio-interfaces based on multi-scale lithographic  approaches (多重製程技術) combined with molecular self-assembly and organosilane chemistry; (2) designing and building a hybrid imaging system (複合影像光譜系統, AFM-OM) that combines atomic force microscopy (AFM, 原子力顯微鏡), optical microscopy (OM, 光學顯微鏡) and Raman spectroscopy (拉曼光譜). Functional nanostructured bio-interfaces  can serve as a novel analytical  platform  for sensing and  detecting target molecules. Such nanostructured bio-interfaces can perfectly be integrated into the proposed hybrid AFM-OM system, becoming a useful and powerful tool to investigate cell-nanostructure interactions. 

1. Fabrication of Functional Nanostructured Bio-interfaces 

     [設計及製作奈米仿生界面]

        The demand for the production of novel nanostructured bio-interfaces is rapidly growing in a range of scientific (surface chemistry) and bio-engineering  communities, especially in (bio-)nanotechnology and biomedical applications.  Lithographic and molecular self-assembly approaches enable to directly  generate  well-defined  structures  with  a  broad range of dimensions. Self-assembly processes utilize intermolecular forces to manipulate arrangement and aggregation of (bio-)molecules or nanomaterials. Our research goal is development of micro- and nanofabricatin processes, such as particle lithography, catalytic stamp pattern transfer or nanoimprint lithography, combined with controllable surface organosilane chemistry (矽烷化學), polyelectrolyte chemistry (聚電解質化學) and  molecular self-assembly techniques (分子自組裝技術) to produce nanostructured bio-interfaces with designed  functionality  and geometry. 

2. Investigating the Cells-Nanomaterial Interactions Using Bio-AFM Combined with Bio-Interfaces 

    [利用生物型原子力顯微鏡結合奈米仿生界面探索細胞與奈米材料反應]

        Many  cellular  signaling  processes  begin  with  binding  of  extracellular  signaling molecules  and  receptors  inlaid  in  cellular  membrane, stimulating  a  series  of  events  inside  the  cell,  i.e.,  signal transduction  process. Due to the small size, several to 100 nm, of these initial signaling clusters, engineered ligand structures  or  assemblies  with  nanometer  and  molecular  precision  will  provide  new  insight  on  size  and  geometry dependence of cellular behaviors. The  ongoing  research  will  utilize  the  multi-scale fabrication  strategies  (多重製程技術) and molecular self-assembly (分子自組裝) to  design  bio-interfaces with functional nanostructures that mimic artificial receptors (人造受體), providing a unique opportunity to create nanoscale bio-mimic interfaces compatible with the natural signaling clusters. Such nanostructured bio-interfaces can serve as platforms for chemists and biologists to investigate complicated receptor-associated or surface-initiated biological  processes at  nanoscale. By integrating the nanostructured bio-interfaces into the hybrid imaging system (複合影像光譜系統, Bio-AFM), the Bio-AFM system will not only visualize the interactions between cells and bio-interfaces but also enable to identify the chemical components on cell surface.

3. Development of Highly Sensitive SERS-based Sensing System 

     [發展表面增強拉曼光譜檢測系統]

        The   research objective  focuses on  artificial  hierarchical plasmonic nanoparticle assemblies (層級狀金屬奈米結構) can provide a newly and effectively analytical platform for SERS-based (Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, 表面增強拉曼光譜) bio-sensing applications. Multi-scale lithographic  approaches (多重製程技術) combined with synthesis of plasmonic nanoparticle or in-situ surface-induced  synthesis (表面原位還原法) enable to fabricate arrays of hierarchical plasmonic nanostructures which serve as SERS sensing chips (表面增強拉曼光譜檢測晶片). Such SERS sensing chips composed of hierarchical plasmonic nanostructures not only serve as sensing surfaces but also offer opportunities to investigate molecular recognition and biochemical reactions on surfaces, providing more chemical and biophysical insights to molecular interactions.