This sensor can detect specific biological compounds present in a gas or liquid. Receptor biomolecules, such as antibodies, are attached to a micro-cantilever made of ultrananocrystalline diamond thin-film (UNCD). The cantilever is integrated with silicon-based CMOS electronics and vibrated by an electrical field. The sensor is then exposed to a gas or liquid mixture containing biological toxins. The toxins are detected when they are selectively captured by the receptor biomolecules, which makes the cantilever heavier and changes its vibration frequency. Different biological toxins and other biomolecules can be detected by attaching different receptor molecules to the cantilever.

Sept. 20 , 2004 -- Some of this week's stories:

New bio-sensors combine proteins, diamonds

By Dinesh Ramde

In research that may lead to revolutions in bio-sensing and biomedical implants, Argonne scientists have pioneered a process to affix organic molecules to the surface of a thin layer of diamond.

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia and will appear soon in the journal Langmuir .

Biomolecules can be harnessed for a broad range of uses, from detecting anthrax spores to helping diabetics monitor their blood sugar. But to harness the function of biomolecules effectively and prevent them from drifting away from their site of activity, scientists need to precisely immobilize them by attaching them to a firm surface.

Jian Wang (MSD), a postdoctorate researcher at Argonne, has developed an innovative way to construct hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces based on conducting diamond thin films. This interface allows biomolecules such as proteins to be anchored to the diamond surface in such a way as to preserve their functionality.

"We developed a very thin diamond layer we call ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD), which can be doped with nitrogen and made very highly electrically conductive," Wang said. "We immerse the UNCD into a special solution and apply voltages, which creates radicals that react with the diamond surface to form strong carbon-carbon bonds." This attached organic layer establishes an anchor to which biomolecules such as proteins can be covalently bound in a process called functionalization.

"This is revolutionary," said Argonne physicist John Carlisle (MSD). "The UNCD grain size is three to five nanometers, which is only 20 carbon atoms in diameter." Nanometers are extraordinarily small — one nanometer is one-millionth of a meter, and is thousands of times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. Devices at the nanometer size are so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope.

"Now that we can immobilize specific molecules on electrochemically active UNCD surfaces," Carlisle said, "we can use them for all sorts of things, such as to detect the presence of bio-terrorist chemicals like anthrax or sarin, or in artificial retinal implants. We can also integrate these functionalized UNCD surfaces into microelectromechanical systems devices to make biosensors."

The scientists' challenge was to modify the ultra-thin diamond surface so bio-molecules could ultimately adhere to it, without changing UNCD's otherwise favorable biomaterial properties. Diamond is an ideal interface because it forms carbon-carbon bonds, among the strongest chemical bonds, and it is durable. Diamond is also chemically inert so it does not cross-react with the proteins.

Once the UNCD is functionalized with organic molecules as an anchor, the researchers can attach other biomolecules to them for uses such as bio-sensing.

"Suppose you want to detect the presence of anthrax," said Carlisle. "First you take a protein that fits an anthrax spore protein in the classic lock-and-key model. That protein acts as a probe, so when an anthrax protein binds to it, it initiates an interaction that confirms the presence of the spore." Similar models could lead to the detection of many chemicals, including other biowarfare agents.

The Argonne researchers actually "grow" the ultrananocrystalline diamond in the laboratory. They begin with a gas mixture that is one percent methane and 99 percent argon gas, and excite it in a microwave plasma reactor. The result is a plasma composed of many forms of carbon-containing molecules, including hydrocarbons and C 2 dimers.

Dimers are compounds made up of two different molecules of the same substance. When these molecules are exposed to diamond nanocrystals, they bind with them as diamond themselves, "growing" the diamond surface.

UNCD is finding many applications in addition to biosensors, including electronics, wear-resistance coatings, flat-panel displays, and artificial retinas. A start-up company, Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc., has been created by Argonne to commercialize this material.

Other Argonne collaborators are Millicent A. Firestone and Orlando Auciello (both MSD). The research was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and Argonne's Strategic Laboratory Directed Research and Development Programs in Nanoscience and National Security.

Tickets now available for chamber music concerts

Arts at Argonne, the laboratory's fine arts cultural program, will host five chamber music concerts during its 17th season.

Performances will include:

Martin Stadtfeld, piano, Saturday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m.

I Solisti di Venezia, chamber orchestra and soloists, Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m.

Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005, at 8 p.m.

Zehetmair String Quartet, Sunday, March 13, 2005, at 3 p.m.

Roland Glassl, viola, and Peter Henderson, piano, Saturday, April 30, 2005, at 8 p.m.

Admission to each concert is $25. Call (630) 252-3751 to order tickets. VISA and MasterCard accepted. Subscribers to the 2004-05 season of the Chamber Music Series receive a complimentary admission to the recital in the series "The Next Generation — Young Performers in Recital."

All Arts at Argonne events are open to the public. Visitors who are not Argonne or U.S. Department of Energy employees need to pre-register by calling (630) 252-3751 during normal business hours, or sending e-mail to smorss@anl.gov. Photo identification is required to enter the laboratory site.

Arts at Argonne is a member of the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance, a not-for-profit service organization for producers and presenters of dance and music events in the greater Chicago area.

This program is partially supported by the University of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

More information about Arts at Argonne and the performers in the chamber music series is online.

Oktoberfest Party set for Sept. 30

An Oktoberfest party will be held Thursday, Sept. 30, at Argonne-East's Building 617, Lower Level, from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Bratwurst, hot dogs and adult beverages will be available for purchase. Music will be provided by the Johnny Walker Band. There will be no cover charge.

Non-Argonne employees must be badged at the Visitor's Reception Center before 4 p.m. and will be subject to search.

For details, visit the Argonne Club Web site.

Greenhouse gas from nuclear, renewables is colloquium topic

Gerald L. Kulcinski, associate dean for research for the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will examine "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nuclear and Renewable Power Plants" at a Director's Special Colloquium Friday, Sept. 24, at Argonne-East's Building 362 Auditorium. Kulcinski's talk will begin at 2 p.m.

Continuous shuttle service will be provided from the East, 400 and 200 areas and from buildings 208, 200, 205, 212, 201, 203, 222, 223 and 202 thirty minutes prior to the lecture. There will be one stop at Building 900 at 1:15 p.m.

Kulcinski is the Grainger professor of nuclear engineering and director of the Fusion Technology Institute. His current research interests lie with the assessment of technological and environmental aspects of the production of electricity from renewable, fossil and nuclear energy sources.

Argonne-West blood drive set for Sept. 22

The fall Red Cross Blood Drive at Argonne-West will be held Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the INEEL Fire Station.

New hours for the blood drive are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For an appointment, call ext. 3-7341.

In Memoriam: Robert Avery

By Charles Till, former Associate Laboratory Director for Engineering Research

Robert Avery passed away Sunday, Aug. 29. For more than 40 years, almost from its beginnings, Bob Avery, was a major figure at the laboratory. The principal focus of his sustained effort over all these years can be simply stated: He worked tirelessly to define the most promising directions to be taken in the research and development of advanced reactor technology, to be sure they were understood, and to assure the most effective implementation of those chosen directions to make the work of Argonne's Reactor Development Program of lasting importance. It is hard to overstate his impact, his importance to the program, and the admiration and respect that he commanded, quite effortlessly, through all his years at the laboratory. As his career largely spanned the years of Argonne's central role in the development of reactor technology, and he was always right at the center of it, his career was, in large part, the history of the Argonne Reactor Development Program.

He began at Argonne in 1950, after receiving his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin. For the next 37 years, until his retirement in 1987, and for several years after, his impact on the course of reactor development, particularly of fast reactor development, was constant, sustained and powerful. When others thought of reactor development at Argonne, quite properly they thought of Bob Avery. There were many other important figures at Argonne as well, of course, for Argonne had chosen early the two principal directions that were then taken worldwide in reactor development, the light water reactor, in both its forms, boiling and pressurized, and the fast breeder reactor. But in sustained influence on Argonne's reactor development program, in developing the logic underlying the program, and in representing it nationally, and worldwide, he was unequalled. His own technical contributions were important, and usually represented the defining work on any subject he analyzed. But more, his personal influence on his associates and colleagues shaped their very way of thinking about the important problems and issues in reactor development, and it was this that truly set him apart. And in this, quite simply, he was unique.

His approach always was rational, his manner calm, his grasp of the important elements of a problem sure and complete, as was the depth of his understanding of scientific principles. Almost instinctively, it seemed, he saw through to the heart of any problem. These things, when combined with his seemingly inexhaustible patience in working with others on the best possible course of action, made his views on the course to be taken irresistible.

It is probably true to say that those who were never exposed personally to Bob could never really understand how he made the impact he did. Those who worked with him took it for granted. He was simply right overwhelmingly often. He was able to identify and explain the considerations important to the problem at hand, to then go on to draw the conclusions that led him to take the view he held, and in this way generally to bring others along with him. In the end most came to see any problem the way he did.

His technical judgment was superb. Everyone who worked with him took that for granted. But his judgment on other matters was sought as well; it was not only his technical judgment that made him influential. He applied the same rational approach, the same marshalling of facts and nuance, to every facet of his professional life. His analysis of the possible, taking into account political considerations, was always highly insightful, and that too was responsible for the success enjoyed by the lab in many of its initiatives.

Ultimately, it is perfectly true to say, he was revered by his colleagues. This was particularly so in the generations that followed his in the reactor program. More than one of his colleagues said, "Once in a lifetime, you meet someone like that." And many more than one, to the best of their individual abilities, made his way of thinking their way too.

His principal early work was in reactor physics when that field was still new, and major uncertainties still existed. The magnitudes of phenomena vitally important to reactor behavior at times still could only be guessed at. Bob was at the center of the successful efforts to identify, measure, and establish accurate methods for computation of phenomena like the Doppler effect, the coolant void effects, and a long list of others, and thus to bring each into the realm of the well understood. Later, when reactor safety became the central uncertainly in reactor development he moved into that field, and soon became the defining influence in that field too.

His unusual talents were recognized early, and by the late 1950s his papers on the status of knowledge over the entire field of reactor physics brought him wide recognition. His summary papers to the Atoms For Peace Geneva conferences were studied internationally. During that period, he edited one of the most influential documents ever written in the field of reactor physics, ANL-5800, modestly titled "Reactor Physics Constants." It was, in fact, a complete "how to" volume, a detailed laying out of the techniques for reactor calculations, and the physical constants to be used in them. It was used nationally, of course, but internationally, it was referred to as "the bible," and used to settle arguments as to how any given calculation should be done. His role in this document was unusual. Certainly he edited it, but that modest role only hints at what he actually did. He worked through every technical detail to assure its correctness, at a time largely before computers when algebra and reasoning were paramount, and recast all the material to assure its clarity. He once said, "I knew there was likely to be a mistake on every page to begin with, and it was up to me to find it." His mathematical and logical powers were more than equal to such a task, and a very important task too for the time, for reactors were being designed and built based on these techniques.

That influential volume, the first of its kind, although assembled from the contributions of many Argonne staff, was really the work of one man, one mind. Later, Bob's summary papers on the status of reactor physics, and then reactor safety, at the important conferences through the years gave with brilliant clarity the status each time of the broad field he was describing, whole, complete and entire.

By 1963 he had taken over Argonne's reactor physics programs as director of the newly created Reactor Physics Division, later, at his suggestion, renamed the Applied Physics Division to reflect somewhat wider responsibilities. He held that position for ten years, a long tenure, but then in 1973, because of the increasingly important role of reactor safety, and the growing tendency to make its study a distinct field of its own, he was made director of Reactor Analysis and Safety Division. He served in this role for a further 12 years. For 22 years, well over half the entire history of the laboratory, Bob Avery directed the principal analytical divisions in the Argonne program, divisions that under his leadership came to be known internationally as preeminent in two of the most important fields in reactor development. It is unlikely that anyone else worldwide could be said to share such an honor. Certainly it is an accomplishment unequalled in Argonne's history.

Bob always felt the responsibilities of the director's role, for the divisions he led had been given the major roles in the nation in their respective fields. He did not compromise ever. He insisted on technical excellence. It was he who provided the technical direction. He assured that the most demanding technical standards were set. He made sure they were directed always at the problems of importance. These were times when the relative importance of the range of problems facing reactor development was not always well understood, and Bob's unique ability to see through to the important led his divisions to accomplish what they did — they were leaders worldwide, of the greatest influence internationally in both reactor physics and safety.

As director of the major U.S. program in reactor physics, and in his role on the Atomic Energy Commission Advisory Committee on Reactor Physics, he had a principal role in distilling and forming the vast body of theoretical and experimental effort to make reactor physics the well-understood subject that, in the end, it became.

As director of Reactor Analysis and Safety Division, Bob took on the largest single segment of the U.S. fast reactor program, and once again he shaped direction, philosophy, and approach, this time to the safety of U.S. fast reactor plant design. He identified and clarified the safety issues and put into perspective the areas of public risk assessment and licensing strategy. His understanding of the fundamental sciences meant that safely research under his direction was defined surely and appropriately to best fill the needs of safe and economical plant design.

Bob Avery made a long and continuous commitment to national and international meetings, conferences and working groups. His strongly held view was that knowledge of the physics and safety problems of reactors must be made available worldwide. Everyone benefits, he believed, from accurate knowledge in these fields. Put another way, he once said, "No one benefits from a reactor accident, no matter where, anywhere in the world." His efforts in doing this extended his influence effortlessly to the entire international reactor physics and safety communities.

He was a delegate to the influential 1958 and 1964 Geneva Conferences. He chaired the American Nuclear Society Committee on Degraded Core Rulemaking. Over the years, he served the Atomic Energy Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and societies such as American Nuclear Society in roles from scientific consultant to program organizer. He was a fellow of American Nuclear Society and American Physical Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1978 and received American Nuclear Society's Glenn Seaborg Medal in 1986 in recognition of outstanding research achievements in the peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Finally, in 1992, in a very fitting last contribution to his chosen field, Bob chaired the national American Nuclear Society meeting that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first critical nuclear reactor, CP-1, at the University of Chicago. Enrico Fermi's success at Stagg Field on Dec. 2, 1942, began the nuclear era. Bob Avery had an appreciation and a sense of history and in chairing this historic 1992 meeting he saw to every detail, indeed as he always did, in bringing back the pioneers in the field one last time, and in making this meeting in many ways the most distinguished and memorable American Nuclear Society meeting ever.

Bob Avery's phenomenal influence can be partly traced to the longevity of his beneficial influence on national and international reactor development. But ultimately, from first to last, it was in the regard in which his opinions and judgment were held, stemming from the logical mind that formed them, and the lucidity with which they were expressed, that gave his influence its force.

On a last personal note I would like to say this:

Bob Avery influenced, trained really, a whole generation here at Argonne. Our judgments, our ways of looking at problems, our methodologies, our very ways of reasoning, can be traced to Bob, and really to Bob alone. He was unique. A gentleman, indeed a very gentle man, who could be very tough indeed when necessary on matters of principle, quite simply he was admirable in every way. He knew more, he reasoned better, and his mind seemingly easily took every nuance into account. It was a joy to hear him outline a problem, its nuances, its difficulties and its probable solution.

He was held in the highest regard by all who were privileged to know him. He could be tough, very tough indeed. He was always fair; indeed he was probably the most fair-minded man I have ever known. I am justified in speaking for all his colleagues, I think, for I worked with Bob for 30 years, the later years as a friend as well as a colleague. I know that I have never known anyone like him. It is quite true that he was revered. That is no exaggeration. That is precisely how I came to regard him.

And I know this: I owe Bob Avery — we all owe Bob Avery — a tremendous debt, for his influence on our field, on our laboratory, and, most of all, on us. There can never be another like him. He is alone; he was the very best of us.

Talk to cover `Politics of nuclear power'

"The Politics of Nuclear Power" will be the topic of a talk by Tom Randall, senior partner with Winningreen, at the next meeting of the retirees and the Center for Reactor Information Friday, Sept. 24.

The talk will begin at 12:15 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria, Private Dining Rooms A and B. All interested employees are invited to attend.

Winningreen is an energy and environmental-policy consulting firm. Randall is a former director of environmental and regulatory affairs with the National Center for Public Policy Research, and former managing editor of Environment and Climate News .

Heart health topic of free talk

"Heart Disease Prevention" will be the topic of a free lecture by Cardiologist Jerome L. Hines of the West Suburban Cardiology Group Thursday, Sept. 23.

The one-hour lecture will begin at noon in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria, Dining Room A. For more information, call ext. 2-2803.

MetLife rep to visit ANL-E

A representative from MetLife Auto and Home will visit Argonne-East Tuesday, Sept. 28, to meet with individual employees for insurance comparisons and quotes for the "METPAY" group automobile and homeowner's insurance program.

To schedule an appointment, call Craig Riddick at (630) 810-0346, ext. 143. Employees can also receive a quote over the phone by calling 1-800-438-6388.

Argonne News will be published every other week

Due to the success of the Argonne Today e-mail broadcast, combined with an effort to reduce costs, Argonne News will be published every two weeks starting with the Sept. 27 issue.

Argonne News will continue to publish news, classified ads and seminar listings, but employees should check the Argonne News Web site ( www.anl.gov / news.html ) often for updates. News items and seminars will be posted to the Web site as they are received, and listed in the A rgonne Today e-mail broadcast the day they occur.

The Argonne News publishing schedule through the end of the calendar year will be:

Sept. 27 (deadline Monday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m.)

Oct. 11 (deadline Monday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m.)

Oct. 25 (deadline Monday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m.)

Nov. 8 (deadline Monday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m.)

Nov. 22 (deadline Monday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m.)

Dec. 6 (deadline Monday, Nov. 29, at 5 p.m.)

CIS classes

Computing classes offered by the Computing and Instrumentation Solutions Division are held in Building 201, Room 167. Unless otherwise noted, classes cost $215 and are limited to eight participants. Complete class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are online. For more information about enrollment procedures, contact Diane Cavazos (CIS) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@anl.gov.

Classes offered in October will include:

"Introduction to Word 2002" (CIS111) — Monday, Oct. 4, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Prerequisite: Proficiency in a Windows environment.

"Introduction to Excel 2002" (CIS112) — Tuesday, Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Prerequisite: An understanding of Windows.

"Introduction to Access 2002" (CIS113) — Wednesday, Oct. 6, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Prerequisite: An understanding of Windows.

"Introduction to PowerPoint 2002" (CIS114) — Monday, Oct. 11, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Prerequisite: An understanding of Windows.

"Advanced PowerPoint 2002" (CIS118) — Tuesday, Oct. 12, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Prerequisite: "Introduction to PowerPoint 2002."

"Beginning Unix" (CIS564) — This class consists of two three-hour sessions for a total of six hours. First session: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. - noon. Second session: Thursday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m. - noon. The class is free.

"vi Editor in Unix" (CIS567) — Friday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. - noon. Prerequisite: A general knowledge of Unix, especially file management commands. The class is free.