New materials for electrochemical sensors in microfluidic platforms: Application to molecular recgonition

Purpose and goal

The objective of the project is the development and the modification of metal electrode surfaces that can act as transducer in microfluidic biosensors. Obducat´s role is to apply nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to produce nanostructured electrodes. The goal of the first year was to design and manufacture NIL stamps and to develop the lift-off process for the nanostructure electrodes, which has been completed. The degree of improvement in the performance of biosensors and possible commercialization routes could not be evaluated, due to a short-circuit defect. The nano-electrode structures were fabricated on glass substrates by evaporation of titanium and gold. A process flow was established for the manufacture of all the different ID electrode structures. A short-circuit was reported by MicruX. A short-circuit may originate from several sources, including the stamp, clean room condition or post processing instrumentation. It may require special tools to characterize and isolate the defect causing this short circuit. Thus superiority of these nano-electrodes could not be successfully evaluated. Nanostructure interdigitated electrode array (IDA) are designed and fabricated. The fabricated electrodes on glass were evaluated by MicruX in the viewpoint of the sensor performance and possibility to enable a new bio-recognition element. If the tests were successful, the new class of sensors would have been tested for case studies with an aim to develop point-of-care systems. The cost of ownership also was to be analyzed in the viewpoint of potential for commercialization. However, since a short-circuit defect was detected, such an evaluation has not been possible.