Page 93 - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Proceedings 2017-18

School of Engineering
Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering

We investigated microfluidic devices with nanostructures that promotes EDL overlapping, leading the ICP phenomenon,
and hence the generation of perm-selective membrane for counterions. This device rectifies current like that of a diode
and hence termed nanodiode. In this project, we looked into the application of nanostructures (eg. nanoslits and
nanopores) for diagnostics of cardiac diseases through the detection of Troponin T protein concentrations in blood. We
investigated parameters, such as pH, buffer electrolyte concentrations, nanostructure geometry and electrode system
for accurate measurements, to better understand the I-V curve characteristics from its limiting and over limiting phase.
Besides its application in diagnostics, this device hasshown promising molecular enrichment capabilities which could be
useful in various bioanalysis microsystems owing to its simplicity, performance, robustness, and potential in integrability,
resulting in a multiplexed device.

Supervisor: YOBAS Levent / ECE
Student: QIAN Shiyi / ELEC Course: UROP1100, Summer

In the recent years, bio-sensing technology has been used in the detection of biological molecules as a sensitive, label
free and electrical tool. Many conventional bio-sensing techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),
microcantilevers, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can almost fulfill the demand of identification of specific
biomarkers. However, these techniques have problems of either a relatively lower sensitivity or a slower processing
speed. Those flaws of these techniques limit the applications of bio-sensing to realize an ideal point-of-care (POC)
devices in diseases diagnostics. In this article, we will introduce a highly sensitive integrated nanofluidic diode which can
detect and quantify biological molecules rapidly using a unique nanofluidic diode structure.

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