A document describes recent activities in a continuing effort to develop devices, based on biohybrid nanomembranes, that would perform diverse sensory functions. The term “biohybrid nanomembranes” signifies flexible organic/inorganic composite membranes, of the order of tens of nanometers thick, typically comprising polymeric outer supporting layers and wholly or partly inorganic (e.g., biomineralized) inner sensory layers. This development is envisioned to yield novel acoustic, infrared, and photothermal sensors characterized by extreme degrees of miniaturization and sensitivity. The main focus of recent activities was on (1) synthesis of new branched and peptide-containing molecules to be incorporated into membranes and (2) further development of sophisticated freely standing membranes with micropatterned structures. In addition, membranes encapsulating arrays of carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles were fabricated and tested in micromechanical Raman-spectroscopic studies. Recent findings include the following:

• Flexible nanomembranes with encapsulated silver nanowires and semiconducting quantum dots exhibit outstanding micromechanical, fluorescence, and conducting properties.
• Quantum-dot nanomembranes suspended over optical cavities exhibit exceptional backlight enhanced fluorescence intensity.
• Multifunctional hyperbranched molecules control the growth of monolayers of monodisperse silver nanoparticles at air-water interfaces.
• Silver-reducing peptides can be encapsulated in ultrathin polymer films and there utilized to effect formation of silver nanoparticles.

This work was done by M. Stone, R. Naik, and T. Bunning of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Vladimir V. Tsukruk, M. Ornatska, B. Rybak, M. Lemieux, Y. H. Lin, C. Jiang, M. McConney, K. Bergman, and E. Kharlampieva of Georgia Institute of Technology.
AFRL-0067

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