| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces Division | Monday Sessions |
| Session BI-MoA |
| Session: | Sensors and Fluidics for Biomedical Applications |
| Presenter: | Ranga Prasad Desikan, University of Alberta, Canada |
| Authors: | R.P. Desikan, University of Alberta, Canada C.W. Van Neste, University of Alberta, Canada T.G. Thundat, University of Alberta, Canada |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The past decade has witnessed the use of microcantilevers as mechanical transducers of molecular recognition and for the development of miniaturized and sensitive biochip platforms. Microcantilever based biosensors can be based on either mass adsorption or surface stress variation. The potential to operate a microcantilever sensor in liquid medium with extreme sensitivity makes it an ideal choice for the development of biological sensors. Selective detection is obtained by immobilizing receptor molecules on one side of the cantilever. Microcantilever based biological sensors predominantly operate in a liquid environment; this is done in order to retain the functionality of the biomolecules immobilized on the surface. Typically reference cantilevers serve to observe and analyze the effect of non specific interactions and fluid flow rate from specific biomolecular interactions. We have additionally observed that the interaction of analytes on the functionalized surface of the cantilever is influenced by the varying the flow rate of the solution used. The surface stress observed due to the adsorption of analyte molecules on to the receptors on cantilever surface in static condition is much higher compared to a dynamic condition where analyte molecules are allowed to flow across the cantilever surface with the help of a flow control system. Here we address the effect of flow rate on the biomolecular adsorption kinetics of the system and how it affects the sensitivity of Microcantilever based biological sensors.