We propose to develop a new nanobiosensor architecture based on chemical deposition of gold nanowires into a commercially available polymer membrane, followed by chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), a processing step widely employed in the semiconductor industry for producing extremely smooth surfaces. A smooth surface is necessary to allow the use of specific chemistries to attach enzymes and other proteins to the biosensor surface. This surface can be patterned using the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM), allowing different proteins to be attached in different areas. The ultimate goal is a nanowire array seamlessly embedded into a polycarbonate membrane that can be patterned to allow parallel detection of different molecules. This new nanobiosensor architecture will be validated by immobilizing glucose oxidase onto the gold nanowires. The detection limit of this glucose biosensor will then be determined by measuring the electrochemical current in solutions of varying glucose concentration. In addition, this biosensor will be tested using more advanced electrochemical methods that can also measure the surface capacitance. This nanobiosensor architecture has a number of advantages relative to other electrochemical biosensors. These include the capability for single molecule detection and for miniaturization, biocompatibility, and compatibility with many different detection methods. The impact of this research is potentially quite broad, with the possible development of a new generation of gold/polycarbonate biosensors, including sensors for monitoring living organisms. This could lead to significant advances in the fields of clinical diagnostics, medical implants, environmental monitoring, homeland security, and the food industry. The results of this research will be broadly disseminated, including the Internet, using the PI's multimedia authoring expertise, which was developed through NSF-sponsored curriculum development projects.
