?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F8563%2F&rft.title=Aggregation+of+Conjugated+Polyelectrolytes+in+Dilute+Solutions+and+Transmission+Spectroscopy+Based+on+Metal+Nanoslit+Arrays&rft.creator=Kaur%2C+Palwinder&rft.description=This+thesis+consists+of+two+parts.+The+first+part+describes+the+work+done+on+understanding+the+affect+of+different+solution+conditions+and+association+with+different+macromolecules+on+optical+properties+of+polyphenylethynylene+(PP1)+and+polyphenylphenylene+(PP2)+based+conjugated+polyelectrolytes.+Conjugated+polymers+are+of+great+scientific+interest+because+of+their+promise+for+applications.+The+photophysical+studies+performed+on+these+polyelectrolytes+has+provided+important+insight+in+to+the+structural+changes+in+different+solution+conditions.+These+studies+are+useful+if+the+potential+of+these+polyelectroytes+in+complex+biological+fluids+are+to+be+realized+as+biosensors+since+the+optical+properties+are+greatly+affected+by+solution+conditions.+Second+part+of+the+thesis+investigates+the+chemical+modification+of+metallic+nanoaperture+arrays+and+their+potential+for+biochemical+sensing+using+surface+plasmon+resonance.+Surface+plasmon+resonance+(SPR)+spectroscopy+is+widely+used+in+chemical+and+biological+sensing.+The+SPR+technique+senses+the+integral+changes+in+the+dielectric+ambient+near+a+metal+surface+that+supports+surface+plasmon+waves.+There+has+been+a+growing+interest+in+SPR+sensing+of+biochemicals+using+a+nanostructured+metal+layer+because+they+can+also+operate+in+the+transmission+configuration%2C+thereby+simplifying+the+optical+arrangement+and+requiring+small+amounts+of+analyte.Optical+transmission+through+metal+nano-slit+arrays+has+been+investigated.+Chemical+modification+of+these+nanoslit+arrays+by+alkanethiols+has+shown+to+red+shift+the+main+transmission+peak+by+11+nm.+Analysis+of+the+plasmonic+fields+and+charge+distributions+shows+that+the+strong+confinement+of+optical+fields+in+the+narrow+slit+region+allows+sensitive+transduction+of+surface+modification+into+a+shift+of+surface+plasmon+resonance+wavelength.+Further%2C+potential+of+these+nano-slit+arrays+for+biosensing+has+been+investigated.+Preliminary+data+shows+that+these+nano-slit+arrays+have+the+potential+for+biological+and+chemical+sensing.&rft.date=2007-09-19&rft.type=University+of+Pittsburgh+ETD&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F8563%2F1%2FPalwinderKaur071907.pdf&rft.identifier=++Kaur%2C+Palwinder++(2007)+Aggregation+of+Conjugated+Polyelectrolytes+in+Dilute+Solutions+and+Transmission+Spectroscopy+Based+on+Metal+Nanoslit+Arrays.++Doctoral+Dissertation%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh.++++(Unpublished)++