Nanotechnology – Plasma Collaboration Leads to Very Important Paper

A collaboration between the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute (DNI) and the A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute (DPI) has enabled high-impact research results, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The paper, "Nanoscale Corona Discharge in Liquids Enabling Nanosecond Optical Emission Spectroscopy" has been selected as a VIP (very important paper).  Only 5% of all manuscripts submitted to this journal receive this honor.

This paper shows that light emitted from a new form of plasma in liquid permits Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) analysis of the elemental composition of solutions within nanoseconds from femtoliter (10-15 liter) volumes. In comparison to competing analysis techniques, OES (1) produces better quality spectra, (2) requires significantly smaller analytical volumes and 3) uses drastically simpler, smaller and less expensive equipment and materials.

David Staack, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, is first author of the paper.  Staack has received IGERT and Koerner Family fellowships for his Ph.D. work and has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Texas A&M University, starting January 2009.  Co-authors are: Alexander Fridman, John A. Nyheim Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics and Director of the DPI; Alexander Gutsol, currently with Chevron; Yury Gogotsi, Trustee Chair Professor of Materials Science & Engineering and Director of the DNI; and Gary Friedman, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

“Just like the discovery of atomic force microscopy changed the world of microscopy, the OES nanoscale probes may change the world of chemical analysis,” says Gogotsi.  “This research is expected to affect a broad spectrum of fields ranging from pharmaceuticals and biomedicine to nanotechnology and fundamental plasma chemistry.”

This work is an excellent example of the many interdisciplinary collaborations among CoE faculty, involving members of three departments.  Funding was provided by the W.M. Keck Foundation. 

The paper has received coverage on two science news web sites, nanotechweb.org and nanowerk.com.