Thesis advisor: Michael J. Naughton / We have adapted a nanocoax array architecture for high sensitivity, all-electronic, chemical and biological sensing. Arrays of nanocoaxes with various dielectric annuli were developed using polymer replicas of Si nanopillars made via soft lithography. These arrays were implemented in the development of two different kinds of chemical detectors. First, arrays of nanocoaxes constructed with different porosity dielectric annuli were employed to make capacitive detectors for gaseous molecules and to investigate the role of dielectric porosity in the sensitivity of the device. Second, arrays of nanocoaxes with partially hollowed annuli were used to fabricate three-dimensional electrochemical biosensors within which we studied the role of nanoscale gap between electrodes on device sensitivity. In addition, we have employed a molecular imprint technique to develop a non-conducting molecularly imprinted polymer thin film of thickness comparable to size of biomolecules as an "artificial antibody" architecture for the detection of biomolecules. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Thomas C. Chiles / Sensitive, real-time detection of biomarkers is of critical importance for rapid and accurate diagnosis of disease for point-of-care (POC) technologies. Current methods, while sensitive, do not adequately allow for POC applications due to several limitations, including complex instrumentation, high reagent consumption, and cost. We have investigated two novel nanoarchitectures, the nanocoax and the nanodendrite, as electrochemical biosensors towards the POC detection of infectious disease biomarkers to overcome these limitations. The nanocoax architecture is composed of vertically-oriented, nanoscale coaxial electrodes, with coax cores and shields serving as integrated working and counter electrodes, respectively. The dendritic structure consists of metallic nanocrystals extending from the working electrode, increasing sensor surface area. Nanocoaxial- and nanodendritic-based electrochemical sensors were fabricated and developed for the detection of bacterial toxins using an electrochemical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Proof-of-concept was demonstrated for the detection of cholera toxin (CT). Both nanoarchitectures exhibited levels of sensitivity that are comparable to the standard optical ELISA used widely in clinical applications. In addition to matching the detection profile of the standard ELISA, these electrochemical nanosensors provide a simple electrochemical readout and a miniaturized platform with multiplexing capabilities toward POC implementation. Further development as suggested in this thesis may lead to increases in sensitivity, enhancing the attractiveness of the architectures for future POC devices. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Biology.