AN INTEGRAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SPECTROSCOPIC IN-SITU ANALYSIS OF THE MOLECULAR RESPONSE OF BIOLOGIC MATERIAL ON ULTRASONIC EXCITATION

Ultrasonic waves can interact on different manners with biological material. In the case of ultrasonic diagnosis and molecular acoustics, the interaction is inert and non-destructive, and in the case of ultrasonic therapy, ultrasonic waves are used to stimulate physiological effects. A literature review reveals that many research groups using ultrasound forbiological or biomedical purposes normally use acoustic standard instrumentation where not all acoustic parameters can be controlled or measured. The proposed project is aiming to develop a set-up for the insitu </>investigation of the molecular behaviour of bio-membranes and protein assemblies under ultrasonic excitation. Infrared spectroscopy will be used in order to measure the molecular response. The new quality of this project refers to the fact that the system is not subjected to ultrasound before phenomenological or molecular effects are studied (such as mostly done in the literature). We plan to detect the molecular effects simultaneously in the course of ultrasonic excitation. There is thus almost no literature on in-situ en time-resolved methods in molecular acoustics. This is due to a number of inherent difficulties to combineultrasonic excitation and spectroscopic detection. Ultrasonic and spectroscopic parameters must be combined avoiding interferences, and the whole system must be under thermodynamic and mechanical control.

Keywords:Infrarood spectroscopie, Moleculaire respons, Bio-membranes, Ultrasone golven, Protein assemblies

Disciplines:Mechanics, Other engineering and technology, Biological system engineering

Project type:PhD project