Surace Engineered Carbon Electrodes for Biosensor Arrays

为了开发高重复性、高选择性、小型化的灵敏DNA电传感平台，必须开发和研究与微加工加工兼容的传感器-生物界面，并在暴露于生物环境时提供必要的灵敏度和稳定性。碳-微机电系统和碳-纳米机电系统的最新发展导致了简单的制造技术，从而产生了具有高纵横比和高表面积的新型微/纳米级碳结构。该奖项的研究目标是通过测试和设计具有高表面积和不同排列方式的各种类型的碳电极，开发提高生物分子表面固定化效率的方法，在聚合物/碳界面上固定化生物分子的工程技术，推进热解碳作为生物传感电极材料的基础研究。进一步了解发生在生物/碳或生物/聚合物/碳界面或其附近的基本化学和电化学现象。如果成功，这项研究的结果将为创造下一代高灵敏度和高选择性的廉价便携式生物传感器提供机会。这项研究将扩大女性和少数族裔学生对科学和工程的参与，并促进与学生（特别是西班牙裔少数族裔学生）的跨学科互动。研究成果将广泛传播，通过在会议上介绍和在期刊上发表来增进对科学和技术的了解。在这个项目中，我们将进行研究生和本科教育，并努力提高当地中小学生对最先进的MEMS器件和生物技术的认识。新开发的技术将成为研究生课程的重点。

In order to develop highly reproducible, highly selective, and miniaturized sensitive electrical DNA sensing platform, it is important to develop and study sensor-biological interface that is compatible with microfabrication processing and also provide the requisite sensitivity and stability when exposed to biological environments. Recent developments in Carbon-MicroElectroMechanical Systems and Carbon-NanoElectroMechanical Systems have led to simple fabrication techniques that result in novel micro/nano-scale carbon structures with high-aspect-ratio and high surface area. The research objective of this award is to advance fundamental research in the use of pyrolyzed carbon as a bio-sensing electrode material by testing and engineering various types of carbon electrodes with high surface areas and different arrangements, developing methods of increasing the surface immobilization efficiency of bio molecules, engineering techniques for bio molecules immobilization on polymer/carbon interfaces, and further understanding fundamental chemical and electrochemical phenomena occurring at or near bio/carbon or bio/polymer/carbon interfaces. If successful, the results of this research will provide an opportunity to create next generation highly sensitive and highly selective inexpensive portable biosensors. This research will broaden the participation of women and minority students in science and engineering, and also foster interdisciplinary interactions with students (especially Hispanic minority students). The research results will be broadly disseminated to enhance scientific and technological understanding through presentation at conferences and publication in journals. In this project, we will effect graduate and undergraduate education and try to raise the awareness in state-of-arts MEMS device and biotechnology for elementary and high school students in local area. Newly developed technique will be highlighted in graduate courses.