Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 353-359).

A generalized chemical oscillator has been invented consisting of input and output interfaces to a chemical system, with the appropriate feedback external to the chemical system such that the system oscillates. The oscillation frequency can be made a function of concentration, reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and other physical properties. The idea was reduced to practice with an electronic system coupled to an electrochemical system, and gave a frequency output linear with concentration for a number of ions in solution. A general mathematical model of the electrochemical system was devised and programmed in FORTRAN on a digital computer, and a mathematical model of the oscillogenic instrument was used to conceptually test the idea. The use of recursive parameter estimation was also considered for this instrument. / Ph. D.

Les biocapteurs optiques ont connu une évolution sans précédent au cours des dernières années, principalement en raison de la forte interaction entre la biotechnologie, l’optique et la chimie des matériaux. Dans cette thèse, deux différentes plates-formes de biocapteurs optiques ont été conçues pour la détection sensible et spécifique des biomolécules. Plus précisément, le premier système de détection optique est construit sur la base de la bioluminescence de cellules bactériennes d'Escherichia coli génétiquement modifiées. L’émission de lumière induite par cette interaction peut donc être utilisée pour la détection des substances toxiques. Le second système utilise des nanoparticules de métaux précieux (or et argent) aux propriétés plasmoniques accordables qui permettent de sonder les interactions des biomolécules spécifiques à l'interface nano-bio par la résonance plasmonique de surface (LSPR). Ces nanoparticules ont été obtenues par traitement thermique à haute température d’un film métallique déposé sur du verre à l’aide d’une grille de TEM ou déposé sur une couche de bactéries fixée sur le verre. Après une optimisation appropriée des nanostructures métalliques en termes de morphologie et de fonctionnalisation, une sensibilité élevée et une grande spécificité peuvent être simultanément obtenues avec ces immunocapteurs plasmonique. Ces deux plateformes ont été utilisées pour détecter des pesticides comme le carbofuran et l’atrazine / Optical biosensors have witnessed unprecedented developments over recent years, mainly due to the lively interplay between biotechnology, optical physics and materials chemistry. In this thesis, two different optical biosensing platforms have been designed for sensitive and specific detection of (bio)molecules. Specifically, the first optical detection system is constructed on the basis of bioluminescence derived from engineered Escherichia coli bacterial cells. Upon stressed by the toxic compounds, the bacterial cells produce light via a range of complex biochemical reactions in vivo and the resulted bioluminescent evolution thus can be used for toxicant detection. The bacterial bioluminescent assays are able to provide competitive sensitivity, while they are limited in the specificity. Therefore, the second optical detection platform is built on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) immunosensors. In this optical biosensor, the noble metal (gold and silver) nanoparticles with tunable plasmonic properties are used as transducer for probing the specific biomolecules interactions occurred in the nano-bio interface. These nanoparticles were obtained after a high temperature thermal treatment of an initially thin-metallic film deposited on a glass substrate through a TEM grid or on a bacteria layer fixed on the glass. After appropriate optimization on metal nanostructures morphology and surface biomodification, the applicable sensitivity and specificity can be both guaranteed in this LSPR immunosensor

Piezoelectricity crystal is used in different area in industry, such as downhole oil, gas industry, and ballistics. The piezoelectricity crystals are able to create electric fields due to mechanical deformation called the direct piezoelectric effect, or create mechanical deformation due to the effect of electric field called the indirect piezoelectric effect. In this thesis, piezoelectricity effect is the core part. There are 4 parts in the frequency output pressure transducer: two crystal oscillators, phase-locked loop (PLL), mixer, frequency counter. Crystal oscillator is used to activate the piezoelectricity crystal which is made from quartz. The resonance frequency of the piezoelectricity crystal will be increased with the higher pressure applied. The signal of the resonance frequency will be transmitted to the PLL. The function of the PLL is detect the frequency change in the input signal and makes the output of the PLL has the same frequency and same phase with the input signal. The output of the PLL will be transmitted to a Mixer. The mixer has two inputs and one output. One input signal is from the pressure crystal oscillator and another one is from the reference crystal oscillator. The frequency difference of the two signal will transmitted to the frequency counter from the output of the mixer. Thus, the frequency output pressure transducer with a frequency counter is a portable device which is able to measure the pressure without oscilloscope or computer.

Frequency reference oscillator is a critical component of modern radio transceivers. Currently, most reference oscillators are based on low-frequency quartz crystals that are inherently bulky and incompatible with standard micro-fabrication processes. Moreover, their frequency limitation (<200MHz) requires large up-conversion ratio in multigigahertz frequency synthesizers, which in turn, degrades the phase-noise. Recent advances in MEMS technology have made realization of high-frequency on-chip low phase-noise MEMS oscillators possible. Although significant research has been directed toward replacing quartz crystal oscillators with integrated micromechanical oscillators, their phase-noise performance is not well modeled. In addition, little attention has been paid to developing electronic frequency tuning techniques to compensate for temperature/process variation and improve the absolute frequency accuracy. The objective of this dissertation was to realize high-frequency temperature-compensated high-frequency (>100MHz) micromechanical oscillators and study their phase-noise performance. To this end, low-power low-noise CMOS transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) that employ novel gain and bandwidth enhancement techniques are interfaced with high frequency (>100MHz) micromechanical resonators. The oscillation frequency is varied by a tuning network that uses frequency tuning enhancement techniques to increase the tuning range with minimal effect on the phase-noise performance. Taking advantage of extended frequency tuning range, and on-chip temperature-compensation circuitry is embedded with the sustaining circuitry to electronically temperature-compensate the oscillator. Finally, detailed study of the phase-noise in micromechanical oscillators is performed and analytical phase-noise models are derived.