DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID PROTOTYPING METHOD FOR LABEL-FREE OPTICAL BIOSENSORS

Conventional methods of pathogen and pollutant detection are usually time consuming, require expensive dedicated facilities and trained staff. Since quality of life is closely linked to the control of disease, food safety and presence of toxic substances in the environment, continuous, fast and sensitive monitoring devices are required. Biosensors, devices that combine a biological recognition element and a signal transducer, represent very promising tools in this context.

This work focuses on the development of a rapid prototyping method for waveguide and interferometry based biosensing systems. By using 3D printing technology we were able to fabricate optical polymer based (Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate - TMPTA), millimeter scale waveguides of arbitrary geometry in ambient conditions. Using this method we have designed and fabricated a Mach-Zehnder type interferometer, a device often used in optical, label-free biosensors.

Based on the lessons learned with our prototype system, we aim at fabricating a micrometer scale biosensing device using Nano FountainPen (NFP) technology. This approach should produce a device of comparable sensitivity to state of the art, silicon based technologies, and can be fabricated in ambient conditions.