Applications of impedometry using micro - and nano - electrodes

Universal NanoSensor Technologies（UNS-Tech）开发并商业化纳米芯片和微流体阻抗检测器。UNS-Tech的离子色谱微流控电导检测器可与目前市场上最灵敏的检测器相媲美，但价格要低得多。 纳米芯片对沉积在其表面上的亚单层水平的材料敏感。 它使用硅制造方法制造，也具有成本效益。 在这个CRD项目中，UNS-Tech将与Cynthia Goh教授合作，扩展和展示这些技术的能力。微流控检测器的性能将使用等效电阻器-电容器模型来建模，然后将利用该等效电阻器-电容器模型来扩展其性能以包括介电常数（DC）检测。DC是物质的普遍属性，反过来使该检测器成为通用检测器，如色谱中使用的折射率检测器，但价格低得多，灵敏度可能更高。 此外，在这个项目中，微流体和纳米芯片检测器都将被修改，使它们能够作为传感器;即，它们将被表面功能化的分子“识别元件”，选择性地结合到特定的“目标”，并结合将使用阻抗谱监测。 将展示微流体和纳米芯片技术的新功能的应用，例如DC将用于检测碳水化合物和聚乙二醇，以及检测冠醚/铅和生物素/抗生物素蛋白结合的传感器。 将对结果进行分析，并将研究结果发表在科学期刊上。与公司合作伙伴合作将为学生提供宝贵的真实的世界经验，开发产品，并加强他们的培训，作为高素质的人才，因为他们准备进入加拿大的劳动力。总部位于安大略省的UNS-Tech公司也将受益。在大学环境中实现成功的演示并公布结果将是UNS-Tech进入产品开发、beta测试和新产品线之前的关键基准。 这将需要雇用更多的安大略人，反过来，这将使安大略和加拿大受益。

Universal NanoSensor Technologies (UNS-Tech) develops and commercializes nanochip and microfluidic impedance detectors. UNS-Tech's microfluidic conductivity detector for ion chromatography rivals the most sensitive currently available on the market but at a significantly lower price point. The nanochip is sensitive to material deposited on its surface at the sub monolayer level. It is manufactured using silicon fabrication methods and is also cost-effective. In this CRD project, UNS-Tech will partner with Prof. Cynthia Goh to extend and demonstrate the capacities of these technologies. The microfluidic detector's performance will be modeled using an equivalent resistor - capacitor model, which will then be exploited to extend its performance to include dielectric constant (DC) detection. DC is a universal property of matter, in turn making this detector a universal detector like a refractive index detector used in chromatography, but at a much lower price point and potentially with higher sensitivity. Also, in this project both the microfluidic and the nanochip detectors will be modified to enable them to function as sensors; i.e. they will be surface functionalized with molecular "recognition elements" that selectively bind to specific "targets", and the binding will be monitored using impedance spectroscopy. Applications of the new capabilities of both the microfluidic and nanochip technologies will be demonstrated, e.g. DC will be used to detect carbohydrates and polyethylene glycol and the sensors to detect crown ether/lead and biotin/avidin binding. The results will be analyzed and the findings will be published in scientific journals. Working with a company partner will provide students with invaluable real world experience developing products and enhance their training as highly qualified personnel as they prepare to enter the Canadian work force. UNS-Tech - an Ontario-based company - will also benefit. Achieving successful demonstrations in a university setting and publishing the results would be critical benchmarks for UNS-Tech before moving onto product development, beta tests and new product lines. This will require employing more Ontarians and will, in turn, benefit both Ontario and Canada.