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Two-dimensional liquid cell dielectric microscopy

Project description

A novel microscopy technique shines light on nanoscale molecular polarisation events

Even electrically neutral molecules have electrical properties that can govern the way they interact with other molecules. Polarity, or a relative separation of charge, is one reason. Perhaps the most well-known example is the water molecule, with a relatively higher density of electrons (and subsequent negative charge) around the oxygen leaving the hydrogens relatively more positive. Polarisation of other molecules is what imparts hydrophilicity, or a love of water. Manipulating and measuring polarisation of molecules in liquids can help us characterise molecular dynamics and organisation governed by electrical properties. Until now, it was not possible to get nanoscale resolution. The EU-funded Liquid2DM project is making it happen, opening a new window on the physical properties of matter on the nanoscale with implications for basic research and applications in the fields of biology, medicine and beyond.

Objective

Understanding molecular organization and dynamics which are governed by electrostatic and electrodynamics interactions on the nanoscale requires the measurement of dielectric polarization at the molecular level. Yet, this has remained a formidable challenge because standard dielectric spectroscopy is limited to the micrometer scale that is achieved by using microfabricated electrodes at low frequencies and optical approaches at high frequencies. At the same time, despite the advances in atomistic calculations, theorists struggle to predict dielectric polarization when the system approaches molecular sizes. During the last years I pioneered the development of scanning dielectric microscopy, measuring the dielectric constants of nano-objects as small as tens of nanometers in size - a resolution unparalleled world-wide. In the next five years, I will push the boundaries of the technique and probe the polarizability of liquids and biological macromolecules under two-dimensional (2D) confinement by implementing novel experimental and theoretical approaches. By engineering 2D liquid cells with controlled properties by van der Waals assembly, I will probe polarization and thermodynamic properties of nanoconfined molecular liquids for the first time on the molecular scale with fundamental implications for physical and life sciences. It will provide the experimental data to validate first-principles predictions and mean-field computational methods on which the study of condensed/soft matter and molecular biology is based. The proposal will exploit my current lead to access a key physical property of matter that has remained unknown so far, enabling a wealth of new science in a vast range of research fields, from physical sciences to chemistry and biology, and facilitating the design of devices with novel functionalities.

Host institution

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Net EU contribution
€ 1 998 829,00
Address
OXFORD ROAD
M13 9PL Manchester
United Kingdom

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Region
North West (England) Greater Manchester Manchester
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
€ 1 998 829,00

Beneficiaries (1)