Development of a Nanowire Field Effect Transistor Biochemical Sensor

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This is a proposal with the Alliance-DND program aimed at the development of sensors for dual use - both civilian and military use. We propose to develop miniaturized (portable), low-cost, efficient, and selective sensors based on InAs nanowires that can be deployed on both aqueous and gas-based platforms for a wide variety of analytes. The project is based on our recent success in demonstrating the use of such sensors to detect ethanol vapour down to the single molecule range. Our partners in the project are Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Suffield Research Centre and TeknoScan Systems Inc. (TS). A sensor with the ability to distinguish multiple species can serve as a protection to the end-user when exposed to dangerous gases or hold use in biological cases where one wishes to identify specific molecules with unprecedented accuracy. This partnership has potential to satisfy applications in various industries such as environmental monitoring for industrial, agricultural, or home safety (e.g., NH3, CO2, or H2S monitoring); sensing of harmful contaminants or chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in national security and defense applications; detection of biomarkers or diseases as a biological in-solution sensor - with extreme usefulness in drug screening and DNA sequencing. Such sensors, having a wide range of applicability and practicality, such as analysis techniques related to distinguishing components in a sample analyte or methodologies to enhance sensor sensitivity, should prove useful for many Canadian industries. Moreover, the sensors benefits can also contribute to positive impacts on the environment, overall well-being of the end-users, as well as financial prosperity for the industries involved. Upon completion of this project, our partner, TS, will have the means to construct their own measurement systems for portable uses, including civilian applications such as detection of volatile organic carbons (VOCs) - while DRDC will benefit heavily from in-field use and implementation of the manufactured devices. The partners are contributing over $200K pa over 5 years, in a project that can benefit Canadian industry, our health and the environment, and be extended to the protection of our soldiers.