Maryanne M. Collinson
 |
Professor |
Education
B.S. (Chemistry and Forensic Science), University of Central Florida
(1987)
Ph.D. (Analytical Chemistry), North Carolina State University (1992)
Postdoctoral, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1992-1994)
Research interests
Research in the Collinson group spans the traditional disciplines of analytical, inorganic and materials chemistry and provides students in the group with a broad knowledge of electroanalytical, microscopic, spectroscopic, and material science techniques. Our research interests have been directed toward the design and characterization of new nanostructured materials for the development of chemical sensors and solid-state electrochemical devices, and for use in optical, catalytic, electroanalytical and chemiluminescent applications. Most of our work to date has utilized the sol-gel process to prepare inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic host structures. In recent work, our interests have been focused on combining sol-gel processing with template-based procedures to create new materials with improved molecular recognition properties, controlled porosity, and better accessibility to entrapped reagents.
In “templating” or “molecular imprinting,” a template is added to a sol (e.g., that obtained from the hydrolysis and condensation of silicon or titanium alkoxides). Upon gelation, the matrix forms around the template. After the template is removed, cavities of the same shape and size as the template remain in the host. When a molecule is used as a template, these “molecularly designed cavities” have been shown to have an affinity for the template molecule over other structurally related compounds. Examples of templates that we have used include molecules (neurotransmitters), surfactant assemblies, polystyrene latex spheres, bacteria and viruses. Methods used to characterize these and other materials in the lab include cyclic voltammetry (and other electrochemical techniques with both microelectrodes and ultramicroelectrodes), atomic force microscopy (contact, tapping, phase imaging), scanning electron microscopy and profilometry. Applications in the area of chemical sensing, membrane filtration and the controlled growth of nanoparticles are being pursued. Other projects in the group involve the study of phase separation in composite films using AFM, the characterization of molecular diffusivity using electrochemical methods and single-molecule imaging and spectroscopy (in collaboration with Dan Higgins at Kansas State University), and the development of new methods and strategies for improving the porosity and stability of thin inorganic and hybrid films.
Selected References:
- Exciting New Directions in the Intersection of Functionalized Sol-Gel Materials with Electrochemistry. Alain Walcarius, Daniel Mandler, James Cox, Maryanne M. Collinson, Ovadia Lev. J. Materials Chemistry, 2005, 15, 3663-3689.
- Phase Separation in Organically Modified Silicate Films as Probed by Phase Imaging Atomic Force Microscopy. Striova, J.; Higgins, D.A.; Collinson, M.M. Langmuir, 2005, 21, 6137-6141.
- Controlling Diffusion in Sol-Gel Derived Monoliths. Kanungo, M.; Collinson, M.M. Langmuir, 2005, 21, 827-829.
- Template Directed Formation of Hemispherical Cavities of Varying Depth and Diameter in a Silicate Matrix Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process. Kanungo, M.; Deepa, P.N. Collinson, M.M. Chemistry of Materials, 2004, 16, 5535-5541.
- Single Molecule Spectroscopy Studies of Microenvironmental Acidity in Silicate Thin Films. Fu, Yi; Collinson, M.M.; Higgins, D.A. J. Am. Chem. Soc, 2004, 126, 13838-13844.
