All-Electronic High-Throughput Nanoparticle Detector

Optical micrograph of the nanoparticle detector and fluidic network

J.-L. Fraikin
Department of Physics
University of California
Santa Barbara CA 93106

A.N. Cleland
Department of Physics
University of California
Santa Barbara CA 93106

Optical micrograph of the nanoparticle detector. Nanoparticles suspended in a fluid enter at left, traverse the serpentine filter, and pass through the sensing region. Each particle generates a high-frequency electrical signal that is detected by the gold measurement electrode (vertical yellow strip). 

This purely electronic, high-throughput sensor is capable of detecting and sizing individual nanoparticles, such as virions, at rates exceeding 100,000 per second. We have demonstrated the detection of individual, unlabeled particles with diameters ranging from 50 nanometers to 1 micron, with response times of a few microseconds. 

The microfluidic channels and sensing electrode are fabricated using inexpensive molding and single-layer lithography. The sensor’s scalable fabrication process and all-electronic signal transduction thus make it well suited for implementation as a low-cost, point-of-care diagnostic tool.

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Reporters may freely use this image as long as they include the following credit:  "Image courtesy of J.-L. Fraikin & A. N. Cleland/UC Santa Barbara".

For further information, contact:
Jason Bardi
(301) 209-3091