I-Corps: High-sensitivity, optical, universal nanodetection system

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

In the sector of medical diagnostic, there is an emerging set of data showing that volatile metabolites provide a signature of infectious and disease states. For instance, biomarkers for cystic fibrosis have been found in patients? saliva and lung cancer biomarkers have been found in a patient's breath. A facile method with trace detection limits would benefit not only diagnosis but also point-of-care evaluations. In the automotive industry, there is concern with detection limit and quantitative real time monitoring of nitrous oxide. To address these challenges, this team proposes the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors that are low-cost, scalable to large areas, with low detection limits. An innovative method has been developed for fabricating self-organized clusters of metal nanoparticles on diblock copolymer thin films as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active structures. Sensors based on SERS provide a molecular fingerprint of molecules near the surface though issues of reproducibility and cost have limited technological impact. The developed method reproducibly produces size controlled nanoparticle clusters with nanometer scale inter-particle spacing and represents a significant advancement in scaling, cost and point-to-point reproducibility in sensor performance. The team has theoretically and experimentally identified key geometric properties desirable for performance as optical sensors.