Professional activities
- 12th Fluorofest International Workshop
- Participant
- 24/4/2017
- Bit's 5th Annual Conference on Protein and Peptide
- Invited speaker
- 23/3/2012
- 12 International Conference on Methods and Applications of Fluorescence
- Invited speaker
- 11/9/2011
- RSC, Chemistry World News Article
- Contributor
- 2/2011
- Invited seminar, Laboratory for Biomolecular Dynamics, Katolieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
- Invited speaker
- 10/2009
- MAF 11
- Chair
- 9/2009
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Projects
- Doctoral Training Grant | Coulter, Jonathan
- Birch, David (Principal Investigator) Rolinski, Olaf (Co-investigator)
- Period 01-Oct-2009 - 19-Jun-2013
- EPSRC Doctoral Training Grant - DTA, University of Strathclyde | Mancini, Onorio Claudio
- Mulheran, Paul (Principal Investigator) Rolinski, Olaf (Co-investigator) Mancini, Onorio Claudio (Research Co-investigator)
- Period 01-Oct-2013 - 09-Feb-2018
- Sol-gel pore nanomorphology using fluorescence resonance energy transfer
- Birch, David (Principal Investigator) Rolinski, Olaf (Co-investigator)
- We have measured for the first time the size of pores in the natural wet state during the formation of silica solgel ceramics using the quenching of fluorescent dyes which depends on the distance between the fluorescent dye and a quenching molecule. Our approach makes few assumptions, can be performed continuously in-situ and offers nanoscale resolution. The method is non-destructive and uses a pulsed source to stimulate fluorescence which then decays on the nanosecond timescale with a profile determined by the distribution of quenchers in the pore, thus reflecting the pore size. The pores are formed by the binding of silica nanoparticles and we have discovered a method of calibrating the particle size using standards and measuring it simply by means of the change in pH as the particles grow in size. The size of pores is found to typically have a radius in the region of a few nanometre (nm). The techniques we have developed are generic and can potentially be used on other porous solids as well as ceramics. Our findings are important stepping stones towards the goal of tracking and controlling the fundamental processes whereby a sol-gel ceramic is formed. This could well lead to the creation of new types materials with new physical and optical properties. The research contributed to the setting up of the joint Physics-Chemistry Centre for Molecular Nanometrology in Glasgow in 2005and subsequently helped attract the investment of a £5M Science and Innovation Award in nanometrology for research into molecular science, medicine and manufacture.
The project will provide a generic benefit by offering an improved approach to probing the in-situ morphology of wet porous solids in general, not just silica sol-gels, but also other ceramics such as clays, aluminosilicas, zeolites, shales, titania, sandstones and porous polymer resin supports etc. Specific benefits should accrue to the silica industry by better monitoring and control of the pore size in its products, enhancing product quality and reliability and to fluorescence lifetime instrument companies by the demonstration of a new application for such systems. Our research might also assist the production of new ceramics e.g. bio-compatible materials, photonic components, nano-powders etc where performance ultimately depends on measuring and controlling the nm morphology. Moreover, the determination of donor-acceptor distribution functions for fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in sol-gels should widen our understanding of this new approach to nano-structural determination and open up applications in other areas e.g. soft-solids such as liposomes, micelles and tissue and important bio-molecules such as proteins, indeed wherever FRET is used. Finally, there is a growing interest in understanding the photophysics of dyes in sol-gels in its own right for use in sensor systems. - Period 01-Feb-2004 - 30-Sep-2007
- EPSRC Science and Innovation Nanometrology for Molecular Science, Medicine and Manufacture
- Birch, David (Principal Investigator) Dawson, Martin (Co-investigator) Faulds, Karen (Co-investigator) Graham, Duncan (Co-investigator) Martin, Robert (Co-investigator) O'Donnell, Kevin (Co-investigator) Rolinski, Olaf (Co-investigator) Smith, William (Co-investigator)
- The lack of capacity for advancing the emerging field of nanometrology can only be addressed through stra-tegic interdisciplinary collaborations that provide a stimulating and innovative research environment to catalyse and sustain a new dimension in UK research capability. In a major strategic initiative, Strathclyde University (SU) has founded a Centre for Molecular Nanometrology (2005 - to our knowledge, the first in the world) with facilities supported by the Wolfson Foundation and the Science Research Infrastructure Fund. This Centre has the ultimate goal of recording real-time images of dynamical interactions of single molecules in-situ. With the award of a Science and In-novation Award the Centre will facilitate the high quality, innovative, multidisciplinary research environment required to nurture and develop the extra capacity needed to make the UK a leader in nanometrology. A Science and Innovation Award will also bring together the Centre and medical collaborators at King's College London (KCL), bridging the molecular measurement gap to innovation in emerging areas of strategic impor-tance such as disease pathology, diagnostic tools in nanomedicine, the design of new drug treatments and new structural materials while facilitating knowledge transfer into the healthcare and chemical industries.
- Period 01-Aug-2008 - 31-Jan-2012
- YOCTOMOLE FLUORESCENCE SENSING OF SINGLE METAL IONS
- Rolinski, Olaf (Principal Investigator) Birch, David (Co-investigator)
- Metal ions play both functional and toxic role in biological systems. Many enzymes require metal cations as co-factors, for example, Se, Zn and Ca, are essential components of glutathione peroxidase, insulin and calmodulin, respectively. Yet excessive Cu and Zn have deleterious effects in that they contribute to the oxidative stress and inflammation in the central nervous system. The presence of metal ions in our environment, e.g. surface waters, also has important influence on our health. Therefore, monitoring the levels of metal ions in living oranisms and the environment is a key analytical issue in life sciences with links to clinical medicine and in pollution control. At present, monitoring metal ions is mainly based on measurement of average concentration, which enables detection of 1 ion in the sample consisting of few billions of other molecules. We propose developing a new approach for single molecule detection, which would allow finding 1 ion in one mole of other molecules. This step improvement in sensitivity can offer a new insight into the research on ion interactions on molecular level, as it removes the complexity associated with ensemble-averaged macroscopic measurements. The goal can be achieved by combining single molecule detection techniques, enabling observation of the volume as small as ~1 micrometer^3, with fluorescence technique based on counting single photons. The aim is to develop the sensor to be able to recognise a specific single metal ion by using an ion-selective molecular mechanism, namely fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).
- Period 01-Oct-2006 - 31-Aug-2010
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