This thesis describes a number of novel experiments contributing to the understanding of protein adsorption from both a fundamental and applied perspective. The first three papers involve the use of the localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanospheres to measure protein conformational dependencies during heat and acid denaturation. Thermal denaturation of BSA is shown to proceed differently depending on the size of nanosphere to which it is conjugated. Activation energies are extracted for thermal denaturing on nanoparticles. These energies decrease with decreasing radius of curvature. Under pH perturbation in the acid region, the multiple transition states of bulk BSA are suppressed, and only one apparent transition around pH 4 is evident. Smaller spheres (diameter < 20nm) do not exhibit any transition. A significant finding of all three studies is that the state and stability of BSA depends strongly upon local curvature. The last two papers investigate protein adsorption relevant to the biomaterial field. Investigation of protein adsorption to polyHEMA hydrogels is carried out using a quartz crystal microbalance. Single and mixed protein adsorption kinetics for BSA, lysozyme and lactoferrin are extracted and interpreted. Selected commercial cleaning solutions are shown to be no more effective than simple buffer solution. Examination of commercial lenses indicates that the morphology of adsorption is material dependent and that siloxane-based hydrogels only deposit low levels of protein. A unique fibril-like morphology is identified on galyfilcon A. Protein morphology is discussed in terms of bare lens morphology, roughness, and surface composition.

This thesis details the development of expertise and tools required for the study of amino acids deposited on Au(111), with a primary focus on the design and testing of a Knudsen cell for controlled deposition of L-cysteine and L-methionine. An ultra-high vacuum preparation chamber designed by Dr. Katie Mitchell and built by Torrovap Industries Inc. was installed. This chamber is connected to the existing scanning tunneling microscopy chamber via a gate valve, and both chambers can operate independently. Various instruments such as a mass spectrometer, quartz crystal microbalance, ion source, and sample manipulator were installed on the preparation chamber. Scanning tunneling microscopy was performed on both homemade and commercial Au(111) thin films. High resolution images of "herringbone" reconstruction and individual atoms were obtained on the commercial thin films, and optimal tunneling conditions were determined. A Knudsen cell was designed to be mounted on the preparation chamber. The Knudsen cell operates over the temperature range 300-400K, with temperatures reproducible to ±0.5K, and stable to ±0.1K over a five minute period. Reproducible deposition rates of less than 0.2Ǻ/s were obtained for both L-cysteine and L-methionine. Electron impact mass spectrometry and heat of sublimation measurements were performed to characterize the effusion of L-cysteine and L-methionine from the Knudsen cell. The mass spectrometry results suggest that L-cysteine was decomposing at 403K while L-methionine was stable during effusion. Heats of sublimation of 168.3±33.2kJ/mol and 156.5±10.1kJ/mol were obtained for L-cysteine and L-methionine respectively.

This work deals with the sensor application of polythiophenes, which belong to the group of the conducting polymers. The first part focuses on sensor application of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) for ion detection in aqueous electrolytes. The advanced electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance was used for investigating the electrochemical polymerisation and the redox cycling behaviour of the polymer films deposited on the liquid facing electrode of the quartz. This method is based on impedance analysis of a piezoelectric quartz crystal. The deposited polymer mass and surface roughness parameters were estimated from the electrical impedance shift of the quartz during the polymerisation using a new calculation procedure for rough and viscoelastic films. The PEDOT data were compared with results from the electrochemical polymerisation of 2,2?-bithiophene to demonstrate the influence of the substituent on morphology and electrochemical properties in organic electrolytes. With regard to electrogravimetric sensor applications the ion exchange of the polymer in aqueous electrolytes (LiClO4, NaClO4, NaNO3, and sodium toluenesulfonate) during redox cycling was investigated. From the mass/charge balance the apparent exchanged molar mass and the absolute exchanged mass of ions were calculated. The mass balance indicated a transfer of anions and solvent during oxidation. No remarkable cation exchange in the reduction scan was observed. For all investigated electrolytes the calculated exchanged molar mass can be explained with a reversible replacement of solvent by anions during oxidation. The molar solvent/anion ratio was roughly proportional to the sizes of the species. The second part of the work describes investigations on gas sensing properties of polythiophene films prepared by a new preparation method. This two-step procedure is based on electroless polymerisation of conducting polymers. In the first step the substrate is coated with an adhesion promoter and in a second step the chemical surface polymerisation of the monomer is performed. This deposition method was combined with new patterning techniques. The basis of this process is the patterned application of the adhesion promoter which was realised either by a photoresist lacquer mask or by micro contact printing of the adhesion promoter solution. These methods provide patterning down to submicrometer scale. The sensing properties of the polythiophene films were demonstrated with chemiresistors for the redox active gases NO2 and NH3. The reaction kinetics were investigated depending on humidity and temperature. / Die Arbeit befasst sich mit der Untersuchung von Polythiophenen, einer Gruppe der intrinsisch leitfähigen Polymere, für die Anwendung als sensitive Filme in chemischen Sensoren. Ziel war es dabei, ausgewählte Aspekte des Sensoreinsatzes dieser Polymere zu beleuchten, um Wege zu einer verbesserten Sensorcharakteristik solcher Systeme aufzuzeigen. Der erste Teil der Ergebnisse konzentriert sich auf den Einsatz von Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophen) in Sensoren für die Bestimmung von Ionenkonzentrationen in wässrigen Medien. Die elektrochemische Polymerisation auf Schwingquarzen und der potentialinduzierte Ionenaustausch an solchen Polymerfilmen wurden mit Hilfe der elektrochemischen Quarzmikrowaage charakterisiert. Diese beruht auf der Impedanzanalyse von Schwingquarzen in der Nähe ihrer Resonanzfrequenz, was neben der Erfassung der Änderung der Resonanzfrequenz der Quarze auch die Untersuchung des Dämpfungsverhaltens und somit eine halbquantitative Analyse der mechanischen Eigenschaften des Polymerfilmes ermöglicht. Aus den Daten Impedanzanalyse während der Polymerisation wurden mit einem neuen Berechnungsmodells, das viskoelastische und rauhigkeitsinduzierte Einflüsse berücksichtigt, die Polymermasse und vertikale und laterale Rauhigkeitsparameter bestimmt. Der Einfluss des Substituenten auf die Morphologie und das elektrochemische Verhalten in organischen Elektrolyten ist durch Vergleichsuntersuchungen an Poly(2,2?-bithiophen) illustriert. Die Sensormessungen erfolgten in wässrigen Modellelektrolyten mit unterschiedlich großen Anionen (LiClO4, NaClO4, NaNO3, Natriumtoluolsulfonat). Für die potentialabhängige Ionenaustauschreaktion konnte ein Einbau von Anionen bei der Oxidation des Polymers, der mit einem Ausstoß von Lösungsmittel verbunden war, nachgewiesen werden. Bei Reduktion des Polymers war der umgekehrte Vorgang zu beobachten. Kationen waren nicht nachweislich an den Austauschprozessen beteiligt. Als Sensorsignal wurde aus der bei Einbau der Ionen geflossenen Ladung und der reaktionsbedingten Masseänderung die ausgetauschte molare Masse und die inkorporierte Ionenmenge bestimmt. Die ausgetauschte molare Masse ergab für die unterschiedlichen Ionenspezies typische Werte, was eine Identifizierung der jeweiligen Analyten erlaubt. Die berechnete Analytmenge belegte eine erhöhte Empfindlichkeit für das in der Polymerisation verwendete Anion (Perchlorat) und eine geringe Empfindlichkeit für große Anionen (Toluolsulfonat) Für dünne, weniger poröse Filme war das Austauschverhältnis von Anion und Lösungsmittel annähernd proportional zu den Molekülgrößen der beteiligten Spezies. Ein zweiter Schwerpunkt der Arbeit war die Weiterentwicklung eines Verfahrens zur oxidativ?chemischen Abscheidung von Polythiophenfilmen unter Nutzung haftvermittelnder Substanzen. Dafür wurde die Filmqualität experimentell optimiert und Methoden zur strukturierten Abscheidung entwickelt. Zur Strukturierung der Polymerfilme wurden Methoden zur lokalen Aufbringung des Haftvermittlers auf Basis einer Maskierung des Substrates mit photostrukturierbaren Lackmasken bzw. auf Basis des Mikrokontaktdruckes der Haftvermittlerlösung entwickelt. Mit der Maskentechnik konnten Strukturen im Submikrometerbereich, mit dem Mikrokontaktdruck im Mikrometerbereich, erzielt werden. Der Nachweis der Sensitivität der chemisch polymerisierten Polythiophenfilme wurde für redoxaktive Gase mit Hilfe von Leitfähigkeitssensoren erbracht, und die Reaktionskinetik in Abhängigkeit von Feuchte und Temperatur untersucht.

No description available.

No description available.

Biomolecular interaction analysis to determine the kinetics and affinity between interacting partners is important for the fundamental understanding of biology, as well as for the development of new pharmaceutical substances. A quartz crystal microbalance instrument suitable for kinetics and affinity analyses of interaction events was developed. The functionality of the sensor system was demonstrated by development of an assay for relative affinity determination of lectin-carbohydrate interactions. Sensor surfaces allowing for effective immobilization of one interacting partner is a key functionality of a biosensor. Here, three different surfaces and immobilization methods were studied. First, optimized preparation conditions for sensor surfaces based on carboxyl-terminated self assembled monolayers were developed and were demonstrated to provide highly functional biosensor surfaces with low non-specific binding. Second, a method allowing for immobilization of very acidic biomolecules based on the use of an electric field was developed and evaluated. The electric field made it possible to immobilize the highly acidic C-peptide on a carboxylated surface. Third, a method for antibody immobilization on a carboxyl surface was optimized and the influence of immobilization pH on the immobilization level and antigen binding capacity was thoroughly assessed. The method showed high reproducibility for a set of antibodies and allowed for antibody immobilization also at low pH. Three broadly different strategies to increase the sensitivity of electroacoustic sensors were explored. A QCM sensor with small resonator electrodes and reduced flow cell dimensions was demonstrated to improve the mass transport rate to the sensor surface. The use of polymers on QCM sensor surfaces to enhance the sensor response was shown to increase the response of an antibody-antigen model system more than ten-fold. Moreover, the application of high frequency thin film bulk acoustic resonators for biosensing was evaluated with respect to sensing range from the surface. The linear detection range of the thin film resonator was determined to be more than sufficient for biosensor applications involving, for instance, antibody-antigen interactions. Finally, a setup for combined frequency and resistance measurements was developed and was found to provide time resolved data suitable for kinetics determination. / wisenet

Poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophen) (PEDOT) ist ein Kunststoff der zur Gruppe der intrinsisch leitfähigen Polymere (ILP) zählt. Aufgrund seiner chemischen und thermischen Stabilität findet er Verwendung in antistatischen Verkleidungen und als Elektrodenmaterial. PEDOT (und andere ILP) zeigen aufgrund ihrer Schaltbarkeit zwischen (reduzierten, ) neutralen und oxidierten Zuständen unterschiedliche Eigenschaften wie Leitfähigkeit, Farbe oder Viskoelastizität. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden die elektrochemischen und viskoelastischen Eigenschaften von PEDOT-Filmen untersucht. Dabei wurde die Quarzmikrowaage (QCM) in Verbindung mit potentiostatischen (Potentialsprung, PS) und potentiodynamischen (Cyclovoltammetrie, CV) elektrochemischen Methoden verwendet, so dass in situ elektrochemische und mechanische Eigenschaften der Filme zugänglich waren. Zur Bestimmung der viskoelastischen Eigenschaften wurde ein Auswertealgorithmus entwickelt, welcher auf ein mathematisches Modell zur Bestimmung des Schermoduls nach Efimov zurückgreift. Während der Herstellung wurden Parameter wie Lösungsmittel, Leitsalz, Vorpolarisations- und Abscheidungspotential variiert und die erhaltenen Filme bezüglich Schermodul und Morphologie charakterisiert. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Elektrolytzusammensetzung einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die viskoelastischen Eigenschaften der Filme besitzt, welche mit der Morphologie der Filme korrelieren. Des Weiteren wurden die Änderungen der viskoelastischen Eigenschaften dieser Filme untersucht, welche während dem elektronischen Schalten zwischen neutralem und oxidiertem Zustand aufgrund des Ionenaustausches erfolgen. CV- und PS-Experimente zeigten, dass die viskoelastischen Eigenschaften durch Konzentration und pH-Wert des Elektrolyten beeinflusst werden und in unterschiedlicher Weise auf die Potentialänderungen reagieren. Durch den Einbau von Magnetit-Partikeln in die Schichten konnten Hybridfilme erhalten werden, deren Eigenschaften durch das Anlegen eines äußeren Magnetfeldes beeinflusst werden können. Solche Filme zeigten in einem äußeren Magnetfeld (0,7T) höhere Schermodule und einen stark unterdrückten Ionenaustausch.

One the most daunting technical challenges in the realization of biosensors is functionalizing transducing surfaces for the detection of biomolecules. Functionalization is defined as the formation of a bio-compatible interface on the transducing surfaces of bio-chemical sensors for immobilizing and subsequent sensing of biomolecules. The kinetics of functionalization reactions is a particularly important issue, since conventional functionalization protocols are associated with lengthy process times, from hours to days. The objective of this thesis is the improvement of the functionalization protocols and their kinetics for biosensing applications. This objective is realized via modeling and experimental verification of novel functionalization techniques in microfluidic environments. The improved functionalization protocols using microfluidic environments enable in-situ functionalization, which reduces the processing times and the amount of reagents consumed, compared to conventional methods. The functionalization is performed using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiols. The thiols are organic compounds with a sulphur group that assists in the chemisorption of the thiol to the surface of metals like gold. The two reactions in the functionalization process examined in this thesis are the SAM formation and the SAM/probe molecule conjugation. SAM/probe molecule conjugation is the chemical treatment of the SAM followed by the binding of the probe molecule to the SAM. In general, the probe molecule is selective in binding with a given biomolecule, called the target molecule. Within this thesis, the probe molecule is an antibody and the target molecule is an antigen. The kinetics of the reaction between the probe (antibody) and the target biomolecule (antigen) is also studied. The reaction between an antigen and its antibody is called the immunoreaction. The biosensing technique that utilizes the immunoreaction is immunoassay. A numerical model is constructed using the finite element method (FEM), and is used to study the kinetics of the functionalization reactions. The aim of the kinetic studies is to achieve both minimal process times and reagents consumption. The impact of several important parameters on the kinetics of the reactions is investigated, and the trends observed are explained using kinetic descriptive dimensionless numbers, such as the Damköhler number and the Peclet number. Careful numerical modeling of the reactions contributes to a number of findings. A considerably faster than conventional SAM formation protocol is predicted. This fast-SAM protocol is capable of reducing the process times from the conventional 24-hours to 15 minutes. The numerical simulations also predict that conventional conjugation protocols result in the overexposure of the SAM and the probe molecule to the conjugation reagents. This overexposure consequently lowers conjugation efficiencies. The immunoreaction kinetics of a 70 kilo-Dalton heat shock protein (HSP70) with its antibody in a hypothetical microchannel is also investigated through the FEM simulations. Optimal reaction conditions are determined, including the flow velocity and the surface concentration of the immobilized probes (antibodies). Based on the numerical results and a series of experimental studies, the fast-SAM protocol application is successfully confirmed. Moreover, the optimum reagent concentration for a given one- hour conjugation process time is determined. This functionalization protocol is successfully applied to immobilize the HSP70 antibody on gold surfaces. The use of the fast-SAM protocol and the predicted optimum conjugation conditions result in binding of the HSP70 antibody on gold, with the same or superior immobilization quality, compared to the conventional protocols. Upon implementation of a 70 μm.s^(-1) flow velocity, the reaction is observed to complete in around 30-35 minutes, which is close to the numerically predicted 30 minutes and 16 seconds. This immunoreaction time is considerably less than conventional 4-12 hour processes. The modified in-situ functionalization techniques achieved here are promising for substantially reducing the preparation times and improving the performance of biosensors, in general, and immunoassays, in particular.

In this thesis, a new technique for using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in magnetic field was explored. This technique would take advantage of the sensitive nature of QCM to vibration changes. The idea is to perturb the QCM vibrations with magnetic materials on it by applying magnetic field. A new instrument called magnetic QCM (MQCM) was constructed to explore this technique. The thesis contains three bodies of work. The first body describes the development of the MQCM instrument and the demonstration of the technique. The resonance frequency of a QCM with conducting polymer (polyaniline) suspension in poly(ethylene glycol) was observed to increase with increasing applied DC magnetic field. The change in population of free spins through doping with HCl vapor is reflected in increased frequency-field curve magnitude. The second body of work describes the study of QCM proximity phenomenon discovered during the MQCM instrument development process. When an object approaches a vibrating QCM, the resonant frequency changes. This proximity effect is seen at the distance of 10 mm in air and becomes more pronounced as the distance decreases. This effect depends on the value of quality factor, conductivity of the object, and electrical connection of the object to the QCM electrodes. A simple modified Butterworth van-Dyke model is used to describe this effect. It must be recognized that this effect may lead to experimental artifacts in a variety of analytical QCM applications. The third body of work describes an improved version of MQCM. The complex geometry such as particle suspension were simplified to alternating stack of ferromagnetic and diamagnetic layers. When magnetic field was applied, changes in the QCM admittance magnitude and phase curves were observed. A mass-equivalent stack of continuous consecutive layers of nickel and gold was also exposed to magnetic field but no changes were observed. Butterworth-van-Dyke model attributed the effect to internal shear friction loss among other losses is modulated by the magnetic field. Quantum effect was considered. However, after examining SEM surface images, the source of acoustic response to magnetic field is more likely from interfacial stresses.

[Truncated abstract] The applications of biosensors are rapidly expanding with the increased emphasis placed on the use of technology in the evaluation of food safety and also in military use. The United States food industry carried out 144.3 million microbiological tests in 1999 (Alocilja and Radke, 2003). These numbers are expected to rise with the recently implemented regulatory measures for food safety in the United States. In fact, similar trends in food safety are occurring on a global scale. Furthermore, with the recognition and establishment of Microbial Forensics as a new field of forensics, the interest in biosensor development for the detection of microbes will thrive. Moreover, the recent spate of biocrimes, notably the anthrax scares, has called for newer and improved techniques for the sensitive, rapid and reproducible detection of microbes. Biosensors have the capability to fill this role as an efficient device for microbial detection. There is a wide range of biosensors available for different purposes. In addition, their versatility allows for their overlap in many fields. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a biosensor that is cost-efficient, sensitive, field-deployable with the ability to perform automated, real-time assays within minutes. The QCM is a mass sensitive device that works on the principle where a change in mass deposited on the crystal is inversely proportional to the change in the resonant frequency of the crystal. Therefore, frequency decreases with increasing mass deposited. The QCM has been used in several studies as a biosensor for the detection of a number of viral and bacterial species. ... High antibody incubation concentration required a shorter antibody incubation duration. Conversely, low antibody incubation concentration required a longer antibody incubation duration. Furthermore, regardless of antibody incubation concentration, a distinct pattern in the rate of antibody binding with time was observed. One hour antigen incubation at ambient room temperature (22.5oC) was sufficient for the efficient binding of the antigens to the immobilized antibody layer. Extension of antigen binding time to 15 hours produced inconsequential differences in readings. The binding efficiency of the quartz crystals after a storage period of 2 to 4 weeks at ambient room temperature (22.5oC) fared better than the crystals that were refrigerated at 4oC. Results showed that 0.2M glycine hydrochloride is a poor reagent for the removal of the antigen layer on the quartz crystals for repeated assay use. The 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA) layer and adsorbed proteins on the quartz crystals can be removed by a mixture of sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, known as a piranha process. This allows the crystals to be repeatedly recoated and reused. Overall, this research provides new insights into the preparation process of the quartz crystals for the specific detection of E. coli O157:H7. Conclusive results have been obtained for several tested parameters and suggestions have been raised for further studies in the optimization of the QCM for the E. coli O157:H7 detection process. With improved knowledge and recognition in the capability of the QCM as a biosensor, the QCM may soon be used in conjunction with conventional techniques for the rapid detection of E. coli O157:H7.