The project proposes to develop a recently reported technique for sensing of biological entities using a method known as magnetic levitation. One of the main advantages of the proposed method is application in environments where electricity and analytical instruments are not available. The sensor output is visual and thus impactful for low resource settings.
The project proposes to develop a recently reported technique for sensing of biological entities using a method known as magnetic levitation. One of the main advantages of the proposed method is application in environments where electricity and analytical instruments are not available. The sensor output is visual and thus impactful for low resource settings. The approach for biosensing uses changes in the density as a sensing mechanism. The proposed studies are focused on understanding the effect of bead shape and size, and size of the nanoparticle catalysts on the performance of the density-based biosensor. Mathematical modeling of experiments will be conducted and compared with experimental data, and that effort will allow the formulation of analytical models on the process of electroless growth of nanoparticles on surfaces under various conditions. Broader Impact: The proposed research will contribute to the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment. The PI will partner with local high school teachers in the relatively underserved Central Valley region of California to disseminate the scientific findings on low-cost diagnostics and nanoscience. The PI plans dissemination of results on the PI's website as well as through journal publications and presentations.
