Project Code: PN-IV-P7-7.1-PED-2024-2374
Contract Number: 52PED/3.01.2025
Project title: Independent polyvalent module for optical nanoscopy based on tip-enhanced effects
Project acronym: POLYNANO
Duration: 24 months (03/01/2025-31/12/2026)
Total project value: 869.670 LEI (Grant value: 750.000 LEI; Co-financing: 119.670 LEI)
Executive summary:
A thorough understanding of biological species and emerging nanomaterials requires, among other efforts, their in-depth characterization through optical techniques capable of nano resolution. Nanoscopy techniques based on tip-enhanced optical effects have gained tremendous interest over the past years, given their potential to obtain optical information with resolutions limited only by the size of a sharp probe interacting with focused light, irrespective of the illumination wavelength. This project aims at developing a prototype module for tip-enhanced optical nanoscopy, featuring a flexible arhitecture, that will allow it to be easily configured to operate in a wide variety of work modes, such as tip-enhanced Raman, tip-enhanced fluorescence, tip-enhanced second harmonic generation microscopy, tip-enhanced photoluminescence, scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy, and others. The prototype system will be fully independent, with proprietary control electronics and software, and will be designed as an upgrade to commercial Atomic Force Microscopes. The project will implement as well high-impact applications in life and materials sciences, with novel variants of tip-enhanced nanoscopies based on optically resolved tips, a recent innovation of the coordinator.
Expected Results & Impact:
The POLYNANO project is expected to deliver a novel, fully autonomous prototype module for tip-enhanced optical nanoscopy, characterized by a highly flexible architecture. The system will support a wide range of operational modes, including tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, tip-enhanced fluorescence, tip-enhanced second harmonic generation microscopy, tip-enhanced photoluminescence, and scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy, among others. Featuring proprietary control electronics and software, the module will be specifically designed for seamless integration as an upgrade to commercial Atomic Force Microscopes.
By enabling optical characterization at nanometric resolutions beyond the classical diffraction limit, POLYNANO will significantly advance the capabilities available to researchers in life sciences and materials sciences. The project will implement and demonstrate novel variants of tip-enhanced nanoscopy based on optically resolved tips, representing a cutting-edge innovation introduced by the project coordinator, following a fruitful collaboration with research partners at the Jerusalem College of Technology and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
The expected impact includes substantial progress in the detailed understanding of biological and nanomaterial systems, the development of new research methodologies, and the enhancement of technological competitiveness in the field of optical nanoscopy. POLYNANO will contribute to strengthening scientific excellence, fostering interdisciplinary research, and promoting innovation within both academic and industrial sectors.
Funding Agency :
Executive Unit for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI)