Microfluidic nanotechnology for chemical sensing

在我的分析化学研究计划中，纳米技术将与微流控芯片一起用于检测化合物。虽然微芯片提供精确和快速的液体输送，但纳米技术改善了传感器材料的功能，以实现传感。需要快速确定液体混合物（例如由汽油和油组成的燃料混合物）中的化学化合物的组成。虽然这种测定可以通过实验室设备进行，但这一目标很难通过简单的浸入式传感器实现。一种新型的传感器，这是一个纳米结构的材料，如光子晶体，将被开发。如果有机液体进入并润湿纳米材料中的纳米尺寸的孔，它可以改变颜色。我们将使用微流体方法精确地传递反应物并控制其在衬底上的后续反应，以产生基于光子晶体的传感器。我们将详细研究控制光子晶体中孔隙润湿的各种参数。该传感器将采用浸入式条带的形式，用于对各种常用燃料混合物（如汽油/机油（16：1）或汽油/乙醇（95：5或E5））进行简单的目视测试。由于燃料混合物在商店或家中储存期间的蒸发，液体成分将发生变化，因此对燃料混合物成分进行简单的家庭测试将对公众有利。 * 在传感中实现低检测限的重要方法是减少表面上的非特异性结合。不幸的是，非特异性吸附的减少通常会减少特异性探针与靶（如蛋白质或寡核苷酸）之间的结合。因此，特异性通常以牺牲灵敏度（低特异性信号）为代价而增加，并且因此信噪比可能保持未改善。在我的实验室，我们计划通过使用两种不同的方法来分析蛋白质和DNA来解决这个问题。对于蛋白质分析，在表面上使用非粘性涂层，以避免在其上结合有害物质，并提高血清中发现的临床相关蛋白质的检测限。对于DNA分析，金纳米颗粒用于去除非特异性物质而不去除分析物。我们将研究DNA与金纳米颗粒相互作用的机制，从而成功去除DNA分析中的干扰物。*** * 在分析化学中，为了快速反应和灵敏检测，需要对试剂进行预浓缩。预浓缩可以通过体积减小来实现，其中试剂被捕获在官能化颗粒上，同时溶剂被去除。然后，化学物质被释放到较小体积的液体中，基本上增加了它们的浓度。将研究颗粒的性质（孔径、装载能力）和混合效率（湍流、停留时间）。

Nanotechnology will be employed together with the microfluidic chip for sensing chemical compounds in my analytical chemistry research program. While the microchip provides precise and fast liquid delivery, nanotechnology improves functionality of the sensor materials to achieve sensing. There is a demand to quickly determine the compositions of chemical compounds in a liquid mixture, such as a fuel mixture consisting of gasoline and oil. Although this determination can be conducted by laboratory equipment, this goal is difficult to achieve by a simple dip-in sensor. A novel sensor, which is a nano-structured material such as the photonic crystal, will be developed. It can change color by organic liquids if they enter, and thus wet, the nano-sized pores in the nanomaterials. We will use a microfluidic method to precisely deliver reactants and control their subsequent reactions on the substrate to produce the photonic crystal-based sensor. We will examine in detail the various parameters that govern the wetting of the pores in the photonic crystals. The sensor will be in the form of a dip-in strip for simple visual testing of various commonly used fuel mixtures such as gasoline/oil (16:1) or gasoline/ethanol (95:5 or E5). The liquid compositions will change due to evaporation during storage of the fuel mixture at stores or at home, and so a simple domestic test for fuel mixture compositions will be advantageous to the general public.*** *An important way to achieve low detection limit in sensing is to reduce nonspecific binding on a surface. Unfortunately, reduction of nonspecific adsorption will usually reduce the binding between specific probes and targets, such as proteins or oligonucleotides. Therefore, specificity is usually increased at the expense of sensitivity (low specific signal), and so the signal-to-noise ratio may remain unimproved. In my lab, we plan to resolve this issue by using 2 different approaches for analysis of proteins and DNAs. For protein analysis, a non-sticky coating is used on the surface to avoid binding of interferent substances on it and to improve the detection limit of a clinically relevant protein found in serum. For DNA analysis, gold nanoparticles are used to remove nonspecific substances without removing the analytes. We will study the mechanism of interactions of DNAs with gold nanoparticles that results in the successful removal of interferents in DNA analysis. *** *In analytical chemistry, it is necessary to pre-concentrate reagents for fast reaction and sensitive detection. Pre-concentration can be achieved by volume reduction in which the reagents are captured on functionalized particles while the solvents are removed. The chemicals are then released in a smaller volume of liquid, essentially increasing their concentrations. The nature of particles (pore diameter, loading capacity) and the efficiency of mixing (turbulence, residence time) will be studied.