Spectrometer-Free Plasmonic Biosensing with Metal-Insulator-Metal Nanocup Arrays.

The development of high performing and accessible sensors is crucial to future point-of-care diagnostic sensing systems. Here, we report on a gold-titanium dioxide-gold metal-insulator-metal plasmonic nanocup array device for spectrometer-free refractometric sensing with a performance exceeding conventional surface plasmon resonance sensors. This device shows distinct spectral properties such that a superstrate refractive index increase causes a transmission intensity increase at the peak resonance wavelength.

Large-area, lithography-free, low-cost SERS sensor with good flexibility and high performance.

Cost-effective, sensitive and bio-compatible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate has been in high demand since the Raman spectrum was designated as a significant tool for analyzing the composition of liquids, gases and solids in 1998 [1]. In this research, we presented the design, fabrication and characterization of an improved gold-based SERS substrate. With fine tuning of the SiO2 thickness we achieved a 3.

Large-area, uniform and low-cost dual-mode plasmonic naked-eye colorimetry and SERS sensor with handheld Raman spectrometer.

We demonstrated a highly-sensitive, wafer-scale, highly-uniform plasmonic nano-mushroom substrate based on plastic for naked-eye plasmonic colorimetry and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). We gave it the name FlexBrite. The dual-mode functionality of FlexBrite allows for label-free qualitative analysis by SERS with an enhancement factor (EF) of 10(8) and label-free quantitative analysis by naked-eye colorimetry with a sensitivity of 611 nm RIU(-1).

Substrate binding to cytochrome P450-2J2 in Nanodiscs detected by nanoplasmonic Lycurgus cup arrays.

Cytochrome P450s are the primary enzymes involved in phase I drug metabolism. They are an important target for early drug discovery research. However, high-throughput drug screening of P450s is limited by poor protein stability and lack of consistent measurement of binding events.

3D multifunctional integumentary membranes for spatiotemporal cardiac measurements and stimulation across the entire epicardium.

Means for high-density multiparametric physiological mapping and stimulation are critically important in both basic and clinical cardiology. Current conformal electronic systems are essentially 2D sheets, which cannot cover the full epicardial surface or maintain reliable contact for chronic use without sutures or adhesives. Here we create 3D elastic membranes shaped precisely to match the epicardium of the heart via the use of 3D printing, as a platform for deformable arrays of multifunctional sensors, electronic and optoelectronic components.

Multifunctional epidermal electronics printed directly onto the skin.

Materials and designs are presented for electronics and sensors that can be conformally and robustly integrated onto the surface of the skin. A multifunctional device of this type can record various physiological signals relevant to health and wellness. This class of technology offers capabilities in biocompatible, non-invasive measurement that lie beyond those available with conventional, point-contact electrode interfaces to the skin.

Electronic sensor and actuator webs for large-area complex geometry cardiac mapping and therapy.

Curved surfaces, complex geometries, and time-dynamic deformations of the heart create challenges in establishing intimate, nonconstraining interfaces between cardiac structures and medical devices or surgical tools, particularly over large areas. We constructed large area designs for diagnostic and therapeutic stretchable sensor and actuator webs that conformally wrap the epicardium, establishing robust contact without sutures, mechanical fixtures, tapes, or surgical adhesives. These multifunctional web devices exploit open, mesh layouts and mount on thin, bio-resorbable sheets of silk to facilitate handling in a way that yields, after dissolution, exceptionally low mechanical moduli and thicknesses.

A physically transient form of silicon electronics.

A remarkable feature of modern silicon electronics is its ability to remain physically invariant, almost indefinitely for practical purposes. Although this characteristic is a hallmark of applications of integrated circuits that exist today, there might be opportunities for systems that offer the opposite behavior, such as implantable devices that function for medically useful time frames but then completely disappear via resorption by the body. We report a set of materials, manufacturing schemes, device components, and theoretical design tools for a silicon-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology that has this type of transient behavior, together with integrated sensors, actuators, power supply systems, and wireless control strategies.

Silicon nanomembranes for fingertip electronics.

We describe the use of semiconductor nanomaterials, advanced fabrication methods and unusual device designs for a class of electronics capable of integration onto the inner and outer surfaces of thin, elastomeric sheets in closed-tube geometries, specially formed for mounting on the fingertips. Multifunctional systems of this type allow electrotactile stimulation with electrode arrays multiplexed using silicon nanomembrane (Si NM) diodes, high-sensitivity strain monitoring with Si NM gauges, and tactile sensing with elastomeric capacitors. Analytical calculations and finite element modeling of the mechanics quantitatively capture the key behaviors during fabrication/assembly, mounting and use.