PARTICLE COUNTING, SIZING AND IDENTIFICATION USING NANOELECTRODE ARRAYS

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The ability to measure and characterize the shape and composition of particles is an increasingly important aspect of academic research and industrial product development. For example in the development of a new drug, the ability of the body to digest the active chemicals, has been found to be highly dependent upon the structure of the particles which make up the tablet. In our work we are proposing to develop a new approach to analyse particle properties. We will engineer tiny sensors to investigate how particles considerably smaller than the radius of a strand of hair may be identified, sized and their three dimensional shape characterised. The approach will work by passing a current through our new sensor designs. This current is sensitive to particles which come close to the sensor and we will use this characteristic to i) count the number of particles in the system, ii) gain an estimate of the size and distribution of the particles and iii) ultimately investigate the chemical identity of the particles. The particle properties will be analysed using computer models, which will predict the sensor responses to the particle number, size and shape. The results from these models will be used to compare with our experimental studies, allowing the current we measure to be related to the physical properties of the particle.