Information at the speed of light
12 February 2004

Dr Wesley Browne

Everything from sending email to diagnosing disease relies on communication. Information exchange is the oil that keeps the wheels of our world running smoothly. And, when dealing with information, faster is always better. We don't normally associate chemistry with communications but, with the advent of nano-technology, individual molecules are increasingly being employed as components in the transfer of information.

Every year, the Royal Irish Academy recognises the efforts made by Irish chemists in keeping Ireland at the forefront of emerging technologies and awards a prize for the most outstanding piece of PhD research in the general area of the chemical sciences. Dublin City University's Dr Wesley Browne was honoured, today, with this award. As well as receiving a bronze statue of Mnemosyne, the Greek muse of memory, the RIA award makes Dr Browne eligible to be considered for the prestigious international prize for young chemists sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

At DCU, Dr Browne worked with Professor Han Vos to complete a key piece of research towards the development of smaller, faster and more efficient communication based on molecular assemblies. In Dr Browne's work, information travels, literally, at the speed of light; photons which are tiny 'packages' of light energy, travel between molecules, alter the molecules and pass on information. By understanding the fundamental processes involved in this absorption of light, it will be possible to use these principles in communication systems. This is of particular interest in the area of nano-technology, where precision is essential when entire systems are based on individual molecules. This research formed the basis for the PhD thesis which Dr Browne completed in 2002. Working in collaboration with ten other laboratories worldwide, with connections extending as far as Japan, Rome and Hungary as well as with partners in Northern Ireland, Dr Browne and Professor Vos are involved in the development of methods by which the level and type of communication between molecules can be controlled - an essential development if systems based on single molecules are to be used for practical applications.

At DCU, under Professor Han Vos, research is continuing in this area. The Department of Chemical Sciences, in collaboration with DCU's National Centre for Sensor Research, is using Dr Browne's work as a basis for the development of more efficient sensors for the creation of 'smart' packaging which could detect whether or not food is fresh. Nano-technology offers many advantages for sensor research. By reducing each sensor to the size of an individual molecule (one thousand of a millionth of a meter in size) it allows the systems to detect a large range of factors simultaneously. In the area of DNA analysis, for example, a labelled nanoparticle can be attached to each type of sequence being detected. By measuring the 'barcode' of emission wavelengths generated by the nanoparticles, it is possible to qualitatively assess the amount of each sequence present in the sample.

In the future, Professor Vos predicts, this 'light-driven' technology will lead to faster computers and smaller computer chips consisting of circuits based on communication between molecules.

Eoghain O'Keeffe