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。尽管可以通过实验室设备进行这种确定，但通过简单的浸入式传感器很难实现这一目标。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。液体组成将由于燃料混合物在商店或家中储存期间的蒸发而改变，因此对燃料混合物组成的简单的家庭测试将对公众有利。

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.