Overview
2D materials possess relevant physical, chemical and electrical properties for sensing different living species found in water, such as bacteria, viruses, and other harmful organisms. To develop highly sensitive biosensors, electrokinetic actuation (e.g., dielectrophoresis and electroosmotic flow) is intended to be implemented in a Lab-on-a-Chip platform with bio-functionalized 2D materials for the detection of very low concentration of organic water pollutants, such as bacteria Escherichia Coli and pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Objectives
In this project you will develop a Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) device and conduct experiments for the detection of low concentrations of water pollutants such as Escherichia Coli bacteria. The LoC device involves exfoliation and bio-functionalization of 2D materials such as graphene and MoS2 to serve as sensing elements, and fabrication of carbon-based microelectromechanical systems (Carbon-MEMS) to allow in-situ electrokinetic actuation. The experiments you will carry out involve the manipulation of electrokinetic actuators confined by a microfluidic channel filled with a water sample, and the monitoring of electrical signals produced by the 2D materials according to the detection of the species of interest.