Stress-based electrostatic monitoring of chemical reactions and binding
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsMarc S. Weinberg, Jeffrey Borenstein, Christopher E. Dubé, Ralph Hopkins, Edwin Carlen
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Abstract
Electrostatic capacitance measurements are used to detect chemical or biological analytes, or chemical interactions, with great sensitivity. A diaphragm is coated with a material capable of selectively interacting with an analyte of interest, and interaction of the analyte with the coating exerts stresses tangential to the diaphragm's surface. These stresses cause diaphragm displacements that are sensed as varying capacitance.
Claims19
A method of detecting binding to or reaction with a selective material, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a sensor comprising:
- i. a diaphragm comprising a conductive portion, a first face, and a second face;
- ii. a selective coating on the first face of the diaphragm;
- iii. a counterelectrode spaced from and in opposition to the diaphragm;
- and
- iv. perforations through the counterelectrode for equalizing a pressure on each of the first and second faces of the diaphragm,
- wherein the diaphragm is configured to deform upon interaction of the selective coating with an analyte and thereby alter a capacitance of the sensor;
- and
- b. measuring the capacitance of the sensor to determine a degree of interaction between the analyte and the selective coating.
A sensor comprising:
- a. a diaphragm comprising a conductive portion, a first face, and a second face;
- b. a selective coating on the first face of the diaphragm;
- c. a counterelectrode spaced from and in opposition to the diaphragm;
- and
- d. perforations through the counterelectrode for equalizing a pressure on each of the first and second faces of the diaphragm,
- wherein the diaphragm is configured to deform upon interaction of the selective coating with an analyte and thereby alter a capacitance of the sensor so as to indicate a degree of interaction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.