A US company is developing a plan to develop a badge-sized, wearable sensor specifically designed to detect bio-threat such as E. coli, anthrax, and typhoid in real time. This sensor with a tiny diamond cantilever is being researched and developed by ADT Corporation of Illinois, USA. The company has been conducting a six-month study in a three-year R&D project and is expected to launch prototype devices by the end of 2011.
Diamond is well known for its high hardness and thermal conductivity. In addition, other features of diamond make it a big player in the field of biosensors. Of particular importance is that the diamond surface is covered by extremely strong carbon-hydrogen bonds, which means it is very stable in water, which is quite different from other sensor materials such as silicon. In addition, hydrogen atoms can be stripped off and replaced by antibody molecules. The antibody molecule binds to a biological target molecule such as E. coli, and is linked like a lock and a key.
This new device has a cantilever shaped like a diving board. Each cantilever is approximately 100 microns long and is mounted on a semiconductor chip. The diamond cantilever specifications are highly uniform and consist of nanocrystalline particles. These grains are formed by a chemical vapor deposition process, each having a diameter of about 2 to 5 nm. Any biomolecule that landed on the surface of the diamond cantilever can change the vibrational frequency of the element, which can be converted to an electrical signal by the piezoelectric reaction of the cantilever.
Detecting 100 cells To ensure that the signal is strong enough, ADT is planning to install up to 50 cantilevers on each sensor. One of the challenges is to enrich pathogens so that even very small numbers of pathogens can be detected. Their initial goal was to detect 100 pathogen cells in 100 microliters of liquid. The sensor can even be used to detect a variety of different target molecules - just by installing different antibodies on each cantilever.
"We want to miniaturize the sensor so that it can be worn like a badge or it can be hung around the neck," says research director John Carlisle. Eventually the device will simultaneously implement wireless communication. This way, for example, a firefighter with sensors can be aware of certain dangerous conditions that may exist in a building and this information is sent to the central response team.
Although the project is fully funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency's $4.8 million contract, the company said the sensor can be used in non-military areas, for example, to determine if water is safe to drink. Carlisle even wants to adjust the sensor so that it can not only detect biomolecules in the water, but also detect the propagation in the air. "The opportunity is quite impressive," he said.
Diamond is well known for its high hardness and thermal conductivity. In addition, other features of diamond make it a big player in the field of biosensors. Of particular importance is that the diamond surface is covered by extremely strong carbon-hydrogen bonds, which means it is very stable in water, which is quite different from other sensor materials such as silicon. In addition, hydrogen atoms can be stripped off and replaced by antibody molecules. The antibody molecule binds to a biological target molecule such as E. coli, and is linked like a lock and a key.
This new device has a cantilever shaped like a diving board. Each cantilever is approximately 100 microns long and is mounted on a semiconductor chip. The diamond cantilever specifications are highly uniform and consist of nanocrystalline particles. These grains are formed by a chemical vapor deposition process, each having a diameter of about 2 to 5 nm. Any biomolecule that landed on the surface of the diamond cantilever can change the vibrational frequency of the element, which can be converted to an electrical signal by the piezoelectric reaction of the cantilever.
Detecting 100 cells To ensure that the signal is strong enough, ADT is planning to install up to 50 cantilevers on each sensor. One of the challenges is to enrich pathogens so that even very small numbers of pathogens can be detected. Their initial goal was to detect 100 pathogen cells in 100 microliters of liquid. The sensor can even be used to detect a variety of different target molecules - just by installing different antibodies on each cantilever.
"We want to miniaturize the sensor so that it can be worn like a badge or it can be hung around the neck," says research director John Carlisle. Eventually the device will simultaneously implement wireless communication. This way, for example, a firefighter with sensors can be aware of certain dangerous conditions that may exist in a building and this information is sent to the central response team.
Although the project is fully funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency's $4.8 million contract, the company said the sensor can be used in non-military areas, for example, to determine if water is safe to drink. Carlisle even wants to adjust the sensor so that it can not only detect biomolecules in the water, but also detect the propagation in the air. "The opportunity is quite impressive," he said.
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