NER: Nanoscale Design of Aqueous Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Molecular Transducers for Biosensors

该项目正在开发基于导电聚苯胺(PANI)分子传感器的创新生物传感器，该传感器由功能化的单壁碳纳米管增强。据推测，加固将导致传感器的导电性增加，从而降低新传感器的检测极限，新传感器将通过与拴系抗原的结合事件来检测微生物。这项研究将评估这些方法是否会提高传感器的速度和灵敏度。在对新材料进行详细表征之后，将努力在材料导电性改善的基础上制造功能生物传感器。这种传感器在各种与环境有关的领域都有潜在的应用，包括水体系中的病原体快速检测、农业和食品安全评估以及国土安全。

This project is developing innovative biosensors based on a conductive polyaniline (PANI) molecular transducer reinforced with functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes. It is hypothesized that the reinforcement will result in increased electrical conductivity of the transducer, thus lowering detection limits of the new sensors, which will detect microorganisms via a binding event with tethered antigens. The study will evaluate whether these approaches will increase sensor speed and sensitivity. Detailed characterization of the new materials will be followed by efforts to manufacture functional biosensors based on the improved electrical conductivity of the material. Such sensors have potential applications in a wide variety of environmentally related fields, including rapid pathogen detection in aqueous systems, agricultural and food safety assessment uses, and homeland security.