Development of Novel Polymer Membrane Fabrication Process for Intelligent Biosensors
Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Major
Chemical Engineering
Research Advisor
Henthorn, David
Advisor's Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Funding Source
Missouri S&T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an effort to develop self-calibrating electrochemical biosensors that require minimal human intervention. The overall goal of this project is to develop an implantable microchip capable of continuously monitoring blood glucose levels. Detection of glucose will be accomplished indirectly by measuring the fluorescence of europium tetracycline (EuTc) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, a product of the reaction between glucose and glucose oxidase. One challenge of using EuTc arises from the fact that it is sensitive to phosphate ions, necessitating the use of a polymer-based charge-mosaic membrane to separate phosphate ions from the blood stream before reaching the EuTc detection matrix. Current methods for the fabrication of such membranes are time-consuming and expensive. This project demonstrates a novel, inexpensive method of fabricating a sealed-in charge-mosaic membrane using readily-available photolithographic techniques.
Biography
John Bartow is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biochemical Engineering. He is also working toward a minor in Business. This conference is John’s first research conference and his second semester on the research project.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
08 Apr 2009, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Development of Novel Polymer Membrane Fabrication Process for Intelligent Biosensors
Upper Atrium/Hallway
In recent years, there has been an effort to develop self-calibrating electrochemical biosensors that require minimal human intervention. The overall goal of this project is to develop an implantable microchip capable of continuously monitoring blood glucose levels. Detection of glucose will be accomplished indirectly by measuring the fluorescence of europium tetracycline (EuTc) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, a product of the reaction between glucose and glucose oxidase. One challenge of using EuTc arises from the fact that it is sensitive to phosphate ions, necessitating the use of a polymer-based charge-mosaic membrane to separate phosphate ions from the blood stream before reaching the EuTc detection matrix. Current methods for the fabrication of such membranes are time-consuming and expensive. This project demonstrates a novel, inexpensive method of fabricating a sealed-in charge-mosaic membrane using readily-available photolithographic techniques.
Comments
Joint project with Lucas McIntosh