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Publication Number
US-11808722-B2
Publication Date
2023-11-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
Sensors having an advantageous design and methods for fabricating such sensors are generally provided. Some sensors described herein comprise pairs of electrodes having radial symmetry, pairs of nested electrodes, and/or nanowires. Some embodiments relate to fabricating electrodes by methods in which nanowires are deposited from a fluid contacted with a substrate in a manner such that it evaporates and is replenished.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a sensor for bodily-fluid sensing that includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed on a plurality of nanowires. The plurality of nanowires forms a circular structure, with a plurality of pairs of electrodes arranged with radial symmetry about a center point. The nanowires electrically connect electrode pairs through the circular nanowire geometry, such that predictable electrical communication is mediated by nanowires positioned relative to the center point.
The invention addresses nonspecific interactions and charge screening by incorporating blocking layers on the sensor architecture. The sensor design further includes geometric and electrical constraints tied to the electrode-pair layout and the nanowire circular structure, with constraints described for nanowire-mediated connections between electrode pairs. These constraints support predictable sensor behavior arising from the electrode spacing and the nanowire length/distance ratio used to govern nanowire-mediated electrical communication.
The document also describes fabrication concepts for forming the circular electrode/nanowire sensor, including plasma-etching for surface preparation, photolithographic electrode and passivating layer formation, and nanowire deposition from a fluid with evaporation plus replenishment. Example outcomes are described for functionalized silicon nanowires, including silanized amino groups and antibody-functionalized nanowires, where binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies produces concentration-dependent changes in electrical current and equivalent surface potential responses.
Claims Coverage
The claim set identifies one independent claim, which defines a circular nanowire-structured sensor with equidistant electrode pairs and at least five pairs of electrodes.
Circular nanowire-structured electrode pair sensor
A sensor comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and a plurality of nanowires disposed to form a circular structure, wherein the first and second electrodes are disposed on the plurality of nanowires.
Equidistant paired electrodes about a center point
The sensor comprises a plurality of pairs of electrodes comprising greater than or equal to 5 pairs of electrodes; the plurality of pairs of electrodes comprises the first electrode and the second electrode; and the plurality of pairs of electrodes are equidistant from a center point.
Overall, the independent claim coverage centers on arranging electrode pairs equidistantly around a center point using a circular structure formed by nanowires, with at least five electrode pairs, and with the electrodes disposed on the nanowires.
Stated Advantages
Reduces nonspecific interactions and charge screening through blocking layers.
Enables predictable electrical communication by nanowire-mediated connections between electrode pairs.
Enables analyte-specific behavior and concentration-dependent binding for SARS-CoV-2 spike through functionalized nanowires producing changes in current and equivalent surface potential responses.
Documented Applications
Bodily-fluid sensing using the sensor architecture that includes circular nanowire structures and pairs of electrodes.
Detection/response behaviors associated with biomarker/protein binding, including antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and related examples of antibody-functionalized sensing.
Sensing examples described in connection with traumatic brain injury biomarkers including GFAP, UCH-L1, S100β, ICH, and NFL-1.
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