• Zhou Laboratory

    Currently, research projects performed in Dr. Zhou's lab is comprised of the following areas: (i) Aggregation of Amyloidogenic Proteins; (ii) Electron and Metal Transfer Involving Metallothioneins; (iii) Biological Imaging at the Solution/Solid Interface; (iv) Coupled Analytical Techniques and (v)Nanomaterials and Nanodevices for Enhanced Biosensing

  • Lab Equipment

    Agilent PicoPlus Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM)

    Our AFM (Molecular Imaging, Inc.) is equipped with the conventional contact mode, magnetic AC mode (MAC), and current sensing (CS) mode.  While the MAC-AFM is nondestructive to biological substrates, the CS-AFM is a unique microscopic technique for mapping regions of different conductivity.  The same instrument can be converted to a scanning tunneling microscope by simply changing the scanner housed in the head compartment of the microscope.  Electrochemical AFM and STM can also be performed on this instrument.

    Asylum Research MFP-3D Atomic Force Microscope

    Coupled with a closed-fluid cell, the AFM can be employed to study biological reactions in situ for an extended period of time. This instrument may also be operated as a conductivity mapping microscope, and coupled with a potentiostat and a temperature controller, without changing the hardware in the scanner head.  The close-loop piezoelements facilitate accurate force measurements.

    Scanning Electrochemical Microscope

    The Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM) consists of a digital function generator, a bipotentiostat, a three dimensional nanopositioner, high resolution data acquisition circuitry, and cell holder. The principle of SECM is based on the movement of the microelectrode over the conductive or insulating surface. SECM can image chemical or biochemical activities present at a surface.

    Imaging Ellipsometer Beaglehole Instrument

    The Enhanced Imaging Ellipsometer combines the features of the Picometer Ellipsometer and the Imaging Ellipsometer in a single instrument. While the Picometer can measure down to 0.1 angstrom thickness change in less than 1 ms, the Imaging Ellipsometer permits a large area to be mapped with a lateral resolution of 3-6 mm.

    Electrochemical Workstation/Impedance Spectroscopy

    Princeton Applied Research PAR2273. The CH workstation is comprehensive electrochemical workstation that performs all the voltammetric techniques. The instrument can be used for all kinds of routine electrochemical studies. Certain voltammetric techniques can be simultaneously carried out with the measurement of frequency/mass changes at gold-coated quart crystal electrodes (electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance).

    Particle size/zeta potential measurement

    The lab owns a Zeta-nanosizer from Malvern Instruments. The system supports the measurement of the following material properties: particle sizing and size distribution, zeta potential, particle shape, molecular weight and a range of rheological properties. It is a powerful tool for the study of folding and aggregation of biomolecules and the properties of colloids.

    Gas absorption surface area analysis

    Quantachrome instruments autosorbs iQ

    Surface plasmon resonance

    Biosensing Instrument Model 4000. This surface plasmon resonance insturument is a modular system for highly sensitive real-time biomolecular interaction analysis. It can be conveniently coupled with electrochemistry for electrochemical SPR measurements and combined with a two-channel flow system for rapid bioaffinity studies.

    FluoroLog 3 spectroflurimeter

    Manufactored by Horiba. Equipped with lifetime measurement accessory 

    Thermo-Nicolet FT-IR

    Model 6700 equipped with an ATR-microscope (Thermo Electron Corporation Nicolet 6700 FT-IR and Nicolet CONTINUUM FT-IR MICROSCOPE)

    Thermo-Nicolet FT-Raman

    Thermo Scientific NXR FT-RAMAN MODULE

    Langmuir-Blodgett Trough

    Produced by Nima Technology.This trough allow researchers to build up prospected mono-molecular layers at air/water interface and offer the controllable way to sequentially deposited those monolayers on to solid substrate. The phase behaviors of monolayers can be easily identified by the two-dimensional “fingerprintâ€? provided by pressure-area isotherm.