2009 Annual Report by EPFL School of Life Sciences

EPFL School of Life Sciences - 2009 Annual Report

IBI - Co-affiliated Research Group - School of Engineering (STI)

Psaltis Lab

IBI

Head of Lab (PI) - http://lo.epfl.ch/

Team Members

Demetri Psaltis Full Professor Dean of the School of Engineering

Choi Jae-Woo, Doctoral Assistant Cuennet Julien, Doctoral Assistant Goy Alexandre, Doctoral Assistant Grange Roduit Rachel, Scientist Hsieh Chia-Lung, Doctoral Assistant Lanvin Thomas, Project Student Laporte Grégoire, External Student Loeffen Berthet Carole, Secretary Makris Konstantinos, Scientific Assistant Papadopoulos Ioannis, Doctoral Assistant Pu Ye, Postdoctoral Researcher Song Wuzhou, Doctoral Assistant Vasdekis Andreas, Scientist Yanisse Daniel, Project Student

Research Interests

The activities of the Optics Laboratory primarily focus onto two research areas. As our first line of research, we work within the field of Optofludics, where we integrate optics with microfluidics for lab-on-a-chip applications. We employ nanofabrication methods to create platforms, where -in a non-invasive mannerlight interrogates bioentities that are manipulated by microfluidic circuits. This work aims at chips capable of performing absorption and fluorescent spectroscopy, DNA and single molecule analysis, portable diagnostics and sensors. In our second major research focus, we explore how light interacts nonlinearly with matter and how such principles can be adapted in imaging and bio-imaging. We use nanodots (dimensions in the range of 10’s of nm) capable of emitting second harmonic radiation (SHG). These act as imaging probes when injected in cells and animals, while permitting their observation for significantly long periods. To the same end, we investigate how images can be transported by very intense light pulses with minimal resolution and information loss.

Selected publications

Luciano De Sio, Julien G. Cuennet, Andreas E. Vasdekis, and Demetri Psaltis. «All-optical switching in an optofluidic PDMS-Liquid Crystal grating defined by cast-molding» Appl. Phys. Lett, Vol. 96, 131112 (2010). Andreas E. Vasdekis, Conlin P. O’Neil, Jeffrey A. Hubbell and Demetri Psaltis. «Microfluidic assays for DNA manipulation based on a block-copolymer immobilization strategy» Biomacromolecules Vol. 11, 827 (2010).

Jae-Woo Choi, Samuel Rosset, Muhmed Niklaus, James R. Adleman, Herbert Shea and Demetri Psaltis, «3-dimensional electrode patterning within microfluidic channel using ion metal implantation» Lab on Chip Vol 10, 783 (2010). Wuzhou Song and Demetri Psaltis, «Pneumatically tunable optofluidic dye laser» Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol 96, 081101 (2010). James R. Adleman, David A. Boyd, David G. Goodwin, and Demetri Psaltis. “Heterogenous catalysis mediated by Plasmon heating”. Nanoletters, Vol. 9, 4417 (2009). Chia-Lung Hsieh, Rachel Grange, Ye Pu, and Demetri Psaltis, “Bioconjugation of barium titanate nanocrystals with immunoglobulin G antibody for second harmonic radiation imaging probes,” Biomaterials, Vol. 31, pp. 2272-2277 (2010). Ye Pu, Rachel Grange, Chia-Lung Hsieh, and Demetri Psaltis, “Nonlinear optical properties of core-shell nanocavities for enhanced second-harmonic generation,” accepted by Physical Review Letters (2010). Rachel Grange, Jae-Woo Choi, Chia-Lung Hsieh, Ye Pu, Arnaud Magrez, Rita, Smajda, Laszlo Forro and Demetri Psaltis, «Lithium niobate nanowires: synthesis, optical properties and manipulation», Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 95, 143105 (2009). Chia-Lung Hsieh, Rachel Grange, Ye Pu, Demetri Psaltis, “Three-dimensional harmonic holographic microscopy using nanoparticles as probes for cell imaging,” Optics Express, Vol. 17, Issue 4, pp. 2880-2891.