HYDRA - Hydrogels for Aerosol Capture

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Aerosol sampling techniques can collect pathogens from the air for analysis and identification. Dry collection has poor collection efficiency and causes damage to the sample through impaction and dehydration. Engineering new materials that protect a bioaerosol sample and optimise recovery of viable pathogens would be transformative. Viruses and bacteria have evolved to become adept at invading, and remaining viable inside, natural hydrogels like mucus, suggesting hydrogels possess an innate ability to sustain the viability of a bioaerosol sample. Synthetic hydrogels have tuneable physicochemical properties to allow precision engineering for this task. Furthermore, the aqueous environment present allows bioassays for identification of aerosols within the gel itself. This project will combine aerosol science, engineering and polymer chemistry to generate aerosol capture devices with soft hydrogel components. Major questions include: How can the materials be paired with a device for optimal collection? What polymer chemistry captures the most bioaerosols without causing harm? Which approaches to assaying contents will allow for remote monitoring? Do Surface structures effect collection? How will these devices perform in the field? By addressing these questions, we hope to take a significant step towards a big scientific challenge: real-time monitoring of biological airborne threats for the protection of health.