Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl water contaminants with multiplexed 4D microcavities sensor

The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of organofluorine chemicals treated as the emerging pollutants and currently are of particularly acute concern. These compounds have been employed intensively as surfactants over multiple decades and are already to be found in surface and ground waters at amounts sufficient to have an effect on the human health and ecosystems. Because of the carbon-fluorine bonds the PFAS have an extreme environmental persistence and their negative impact accumulates with further production and penetration into the environment. In Germany alone, more than thousands sites have been identified to be contaminated with PFAS and thus timely detection of PFAS residues is becoming a high-priority task. In this paper we report on the high performance optical detection method based on whispering gallery modes microcavities applied for the first time for detection of the PFAS contaminants in aqueous solutions. A self-sensing boosted 4D microcavity fabricated with two-photon polymerization is employed as an individual sensing unit. On example of the multiplexed imaging sensor with multiple hundreds of simultaneously interrogated microcavities we demonstrate the possibility to detect the PFAS chemicals representatives at the level of down to 1 ppb

Neural Network Analysis of the Resonance Whispering Gallery Mode Characteristics of Biological Agents

A novel technique for the label-free analysis of micro and nanoparticles including biomolecules using optical micro cavity resonance of whispering-gallery-type modes is being developed. Various schemes of the method using both standard and specially produced microspheres have been investigated to make further development for microbial application. It was demonstrated that optical resonance under optimal geometry could be detected under the laser power of less than 1 microwatt. The sensitivity of developed schemes has been tested by monitoring the spectral shift of the whispering gallery modes. Water solutions of ethanol, ascorbic acid, blood phantoms including albumin and HCl, glucose, biotin, biomarker like C reactive protein as well as bacteria and virus phantoms (gels of silica micro and nanoparticles) have been used. Structure of resonance spectra of the solutions was a specific subject of investigation. Probabilistic neural network classifier for biological agents and micro/nano particles classification has been developed. Several parameters of resonance spectra such as spectral shift, broadening, diffuseness and others have been used as input parameters to develop a network classifier for micro and nanoparticles and biological agents in solution. Classification probability of approximately 98 % for probes under investigation have been achieved. Developed approach have been demonstrated to be a promising technology platform for sensitive, lab-on-chip type sensor which can be used for development of diagnostic tools for different biological molecules, e.g. proteins, oligonucleotides, oligosaccharides, lipids, small molecules, viral particles, cells as well as in different experimental contexts e.g. proteomics, genomics, drug discovery, and membrane studies

Neural Network Analysis of the Resonance Whispering Gallery Mode Characteristics of Biological Agents

A novel technique for the label-free analysis of micro and nanoparticles including biomolecules using optical micro cavity resonance of whispering-gallery-type modes is being developed. Various schemes of the method using both standard and specially produced microspheres have been investigated to make further development for microbial application. It was demonstrated that optical resonance under optimal geometry could be detected under the laser power of less than 1 microwatt. The sensitivity of developed schemes has been tested by monitoring the spectral shift of the whispering gallery modes. Water solutions of ethanol, ascorbic acid, blood phantoms including albumin and HCl, glucose, biotin, biomarker like C reactive protein as well as bacteria and virus phantoms (gels of silica micro and nanoparticles) have been used. Structure of resonance spectra of the solutions was a specific subject of investigation. Probabilistic neural network classifier for biological agents and micro/nano particles classification has been developed. Several parameters of resonance spectra such as spectral shift, broadening, diffuseness and others have been used as input parameters to develop a network classifier for micro and nanoparticles and biological agents in solution. Classification probability of approximately 98 % for probes under investigation have been achieved. Developed approach have been demonstrated to be a promising technology platform for sensitive, lab-on-chip type sensor which can be used for development of diagnostic tools for different biological molecules, e.g. proteins, oligonucleotides, oligosaccharides, lipids, small molecules, viral particles, cells as well as in different experimental contexts e.g. proteomics, genomics, drug discovery, and membrane studies

Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl water contaminants with multiplexed 4D microcavities sensor

The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of organofluorine chemicals treated as the emerging pollutants and currently are of particularly acute concern. These compounds have been employed intensively as surfactants over multiple decades and are already to be found in surface and ground waters at amounts sufficient to have an effect on the human health and ecosystems. Because of the carbon-fluorine bonds the PFAS have an extreme environmental persistence and their negative impact accumulates with further production and penetration into the environment. In Germany alone, more than thousands sites have been identified to be contaminated with PFAS and thus timely detection of PFAS residues is becoming a high-priority task. In this paper we report on the high performance optical detection method based on whispering gallery modes microcavities applied for the first time for detection of the PFAS contaminants in aqueous solutions. A self-sensing boosted 4D microcavity fabricated with two-photon polymerization is employed as an individual sensing unit. On example of the multiplexed imaging sensor with multiple hundreds of simultaneously interrogated microcavities we demonstrate the possibility to detect the PFAS chemicals representatives at the level of down to 1 ppb