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Specialized iNANO Lecture: Graphene Composite Biosensors

Assistant Professor Caryn Heldt, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Michigan, USA

Info about event

Time

Monday 4 August 2014,  at 10:15 - 11:00

Location

Meeting room 1590-213 of the iNANO House, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C

 

Assistant Professor Caryn Heldt, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Michigan, USA

Graphene Composite Biosensors

Direct detection of pathogens and toxins can provide more creditable information for making health decisions.  However, we currently have few direct detection methods that can quickly and rapidly provide meaningful information.  Current point of care and rapid test devices have changed the treatment of many infectious diseases, but current sensors only have a positive-negative readings with a relative low sensitivity.  We have created an electrochemical graphene sensor that can produce concentration information quickly with minimal equipment.  It was created from a graphene nanoplatelet composite.  This makes the sensor easy to construct and reduces the variability found from other forms of graphene.  The composite has been tailored to create a more sensitive biosensor and we have found that a graphene/cellulose sensor most fit our selection criteria.  The sensor is robust and can detect protein concentration in a variety of pH and ionic strength environments.  It can be re-used without the need for complicated washing protocols.  The composite sensor can also be functionalized to create a specific sensor when other proteins are present.  The sensitivity of the current functionalized sensor is in the low nanomolar range and we continue to improve the device construction to lower this even more.  This work will describe the current state of this unique graphene composite sensor and describe some of the potential uses for such a handheld electrochemical sensor.

 

  Host: Assistant professor Megan Yi-Ping Ho, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University