462 research outputs found

    Geometrical Considerations for the Design of Liquid-phase Biochemical Sensors Using a Cantilever\u27s Fundamental In-plane Mode

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    The influence of the beam geometry on the quality factor and resonance frequency of resonant silicon cantilever beams vibrating in their fundamental in-plane flexural mode in water has been investigated. Compared to cantilevers vibrating in their first out-of-plane flexural mode, utilizing the in-plane mode results in reduced damping and reduced mass loading by the surrounding fluid. Quality factors as high as 86 have been measured in water for cantilevers with a 20 μm thick silicon layer. Based on the experimental data, design guidelines are established for beam dimensions that ensure maximal Q-factors and minimal mass loading by the surrounding fluid, thus improving the limit-of-detection of mass-sensitive biochemical sensors. Elementary theory is also presented to help explain the observed trends. Additional discussion focuses on the tradeoffs that exist in designing liquid-phase biochemical sensors using in-plane cantilevers

    Resonant Characteristics of Rectangular Hammerhead Microcantilevers Vibrating Laterally in Viscous Liquid Media

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    The resonant characteristics of laterally vibrating rectangular hammerhead microcantilevers in viscous liquid media are investigated. The rectangular hammerhead microcantilever is modeled as an Euler-Bernoulli beam (stem) and a rigid body (head). A modified semi-analytical expression for the hydrodynamic function in terms of the Reynolds number, Re, and aspect ratio, h/b, is proposed to rapidly evaluate the sensing characteristics. Using this expression, the resonance frequency, quality factor and normalized surface mass sensitivity are investigated as a function of the dimensions of the microcantilever and liquid properties. Guidelines for design of hammerhead microcantilever geometry are proposed to achieve efficient sensing platforms for liquid-phase operation. The improvement in the sensing area and characteristics are expected to yield higher sensitivity of detection and improved signal-to-noise ratio in liquid-phase chemical sensing applications

    Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Resonant Viscosity and Mass Density Sensors Considering their Cross-Sensitivity to Temperature

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    AbstractIn this contribution we discuss a generalized, reduced order model for resonant viscosity and mass density sensors which considers also the devices’ cross sensitivities to temperature. The applicability of the model is substantiated by experimental results from measurements obtained with a circular steel tuning fork in various liquids and temperatures. Advantages of this model are its simplicity, its general applicability for resonant mass density and viscosity sensors which furthermore facilitates the comparison of different sensors

    Fluid compressional properties sensing at microscale using a longitudinal bulk acoustic wave transducer operated in a pulse-echo scheme

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    Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICAcoustic devices have been widely used as smart chemical and biochemical sensors since they are sensitive to mechanical, chemical, optical or electrical perturbations on their surfaces; making them a reliable option for noninvasive detection of changes in physical properties of liquid samples for real-time applications. Here we present a longitudinal acoustic wave device for study of compressional properties of liquids in microfluidic systems, with the particularity of pulse-echo mode of operation. We have studied at a microscale the interaction between longitudinal acoustic waves and the compressional properties of liquid samples, interrogating the fluids with short pulses of ultrasound at GHz, finding a direct relationship between the magnitude of the bulk modulus or the specific acoustic impedance of liquids and the amplitude of the output voltage produced by acoustic echoes received by the aluminum nitride transducer. Analytical expressions and FEM simulations support the detection mechanism, while applications such as classification of liquids and detection of concentration change in solutions experimentally demonstrate the method. This contribution overcomes current restrictions of film acoustic resonators such as fragility of operation in liquid environments, high manufacturing cost or limitations regarding narrow microchannels; offering an alternative to applications that demand ultra-low consumption, miniaturization, versatility (it offers multi-frequency operation in 1 - 10 GHz range) and ease of readout (peak voltage)

    Surface Generated Acoustic Wave Biosensors for the Detection of Pathogens: A Review

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    This review presents a deep insight into the Surface Generated Acoustic Wave (SGAW) technology for biosensing applications, based on more than 40 years of technological and scientific developments. In the last 20 years, SGAWs have been attracting the attention of the biochemical scientific community, due to the fact that some of these devices - Shear Horizontal Surface Acoustic Wave (SH-SAW), Surface Transverse Wave (STW), Love Wave (LW), Flexural Plate Wave (FPW), Shear Horizontal Acoustic Plate Mode (SH-APM) and Layered Guided Acoustic Plate Mode (LG-APM) - have demonstrated a high sensitivity in the detection of biorelevant molecules in liquid media. In addition, complementary efforts to improve the sensing films have been done during these years. All these developments have been made with the aim of achieving, in a future, a highly sensitive, low cost, small size, multi-channel, portable, reliable and commercially established SGAW biosensor. A setup with these features could significantly contribute to future developments in the health, food and environmental industries. The second purpose of this work is to describe the state-of-the-art of SGAW biosensors for the detection of pathogens, being this topic an issue of extremely importance for the human health. Finally, the review discuses the commercial availability, trends and future challenges of the SGAW biosensors for such applications

    Piezoelectric microsensors for semiochemical communication

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    Chemical communication plays vital role in the mediating the behaviour of an organism living in the “odour space”. The mechanisms by which odours are generated and detected by the organism has evolved over thousands of years and thus the potential advantages of translating this system into a fully functional communication system has opened new avenues in the area of multi-disciplinary research. This formed the basis of the Biosynthetic Infochemical Communications project – iCHEM whose central aim was to develop a new class of communication technology based on the biosynthesis pathways of the moth, S. littoralis. This novel infochemical communication system would consist of a “chemoemitter” unit which would generate a precise mix of infochemicals which after travelling through the odour space would be detected by a complementary tuned detector – the “chemoreceiver” unit comprising of a ligand specific detection element and an associated biophysical model functioning similar to the antennal lobe neuron of the moth. This combined novel system will have the capability of communicating by the help of chemicals only, in the vapour or liquid phase. For the work presented in this thesis, the novel concept of infochemical communication has been examined in the vapour and liquid phase by employing piezoelectric microsensors. This has been achieved and demonstrated throughout the thesis by employing chemo-specific acoustic wave microsensors. For vapour phase assessment, quartz crystal microbalance, were coated with different organic polymer coatings and incorporated in a prototype infochemical communication system detecting encoded volatiles. For liquid phase assessment, shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) microsensors were specifically designed and immobilised within Sf9 insect cells. This GPCR based whole cell biosensing system was then employed to detect ligand specific activations thus acting as a precursor to the development of a fully functionalised OR based signalling system, thus contributing to the growing field of communication and labelling technology

    Torsional Sensor Applications in Two-Phase Fluids

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    A solid corrosion-resistant torsional waveguide of diamond cross section has been developed to sense on-line and in real-time the characteristics of the liquid in which it is submerged. The sensor can measure, among other things, the liquid content of a bubbly medium; the density of adjacent pure liquids; the equivalent density of liquid-vapor mixtures or particulate suspensions; a suspension\u27s concentration; and the liquid level. The sensor exploits the phenomenon that the speed of propagation of a torsional stress wave in a submerged waveguide with a noncircular cross section is inversely proportional to the equivalent density of the liquid in which the waveguide is submerged. The sensor may be used to conduct measurements along distances ranging from 20 mm to 20 m and over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, e.g., from the cryogenic temperature of liquid nitrogen, -196°C, up to hot pressurized water at 300°C and 7 MPa. A self-calibrating three-zone sensor and associated electronics have also been developed to compensate for any sensor inaccuracies due to operation over a wide range of temperature. In some of the water experiments at room temperature, unexpected attenuation of the guided torsional waves was observed. This excess attenuation depends in part on the waveguide\u27s surface finish. It appears to be caused by air microbubbles adhering to the waveguide, imposing one of the practical limits on the maximum sensor length in nondegassed or aerated water
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