Changyong Yim

Highly sensitive diagnostic assay for the detection of protein biomarkers using microresonators and multifunctional nanoparticles.

We developed a novel gravimetric immunoassay for sensitive detection of multiple protein biomarkers using silicon microcantilever arrays and multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles. Magnetic-photocatalytic hybrid nanoparticles with a highly crystalline TiO(2) shell were synthesized using a solvothermal reaction without a calcination process. After functionalizing the hybrid nanoparticles and silicon cantilevers with antibodies, the nanoparticles were used to magnetically separate target biomarkers from human serum. Frequency changes of the microcantilevers due to the binding of the nanoparticles were measured using a dip-and-dry method. Frequency changes were further amplified using a photocatalytic silver reduction reaction. Several biomarkers, including interleukin-6, interferon-γ, and alpha-fetoprotein, were selectively detected using arrays of eight silicon microcantilevers. The detection limit of this assay was ∼0.1 pg/mL, which is superior to the clinical threshold of the biomarkers.

Evaporation of water droplets from hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanoporous microcantilevers

The evaporation dynamics of water droplets from the surfaces of well-defined nanoporous substrates, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) cantilevers with various pore sizes, were investigated. The AAO cantilever surfaces were modified to be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic. After placing a water droplet on the cantilevers, variations in the resonance frequency and deflection during evaporation were related to the changes in mass and stress of the cantilever, respectively. The dynamics of water droplet evaporation on a hydrophilic AAO cantilever was found to be significantly different from that measured on a hydrophobic AAO cantilever due to the permeation of water into the hydrophilic nanopores.

CO2-Selective Nanoporous Metal-Organic Framework Microcantilevers.

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) microcantilevers are fabricated and MIL-53 (Al) metal-organic framework (MOF) layers are directly synthesized on each cantilever surface by using the aluminum oxide as the metal ion source. Exposure of the MIL53-AAO cantilevers to various concentrations of CO2, N2, CO, and Ar induces changes in their deflections and resonance frequencies. The results of the resonance frequency measurements for the different adsorbed gas molecules are almost identical when the frequency changes are normalized by the molecular weights of the gases. In contrast, the deflection measurements show that only CO2 adsorption induces substantial bending of the MIL53-AAO cantilevers. This selective deflection of the cantilevers is attributed to the strong interactions between CO2 and the hydroxyl groups in MIL-53, which induce structural changes in the MIL-53 layers. Simultaneous measurements of the resonance frequency and the deflection are performed to show that the diffusion of CO2 into the nanoporous MIL-53 layers occurs very rapidly, whereas the binding of CO2 to hydroxyl groups occurs relatively slowly, which indicates that the adsorption of CO2 onto the MIL-53 layers and the desorption of CO2 from the MIL-53 layers are reaction limited.

Magnetorheological Elastomer Films with Tunable Wetting and Adhesion Properties

We fabricated magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) films consisting of polydimethylsiloxane and various concentrations of fluorinated carbonyl iron particles. The application of a magnetic field to the MRE film induced changes in the surface morphology due to the alignment of the iron particles along the magnetic field lines. At low concentrations of iron particles and low magnetic field intensities, needle-like microstructures predominated. These structures formed more mountain-like microstructures as the concentration of iron particles or the magnetic field intensity increased. The surface roughness increased the water contact angle from 100° to 160° and decreased the sliding angle from 180° to 10°. The wettability and adhesion properties changed substantially within a few seconds simply upon application of a magnetic field. Cyclical measurements revealed that the transition was completely reversible.

Facile detection of Troponin I using dendritic platinum nanoparticles and capillary tube indicators

A facile method was developed for the detection of Troponin I (Tnl) using dendritic platinum nanoparticles and capillary tube indicators. Dendritic platinum nanoparticles were functionalized with TnI antibodies, which were used to capture TnI in human serum. The captured TnI was conjugated to the inner surface of a glass vial, to which a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution was added. After sealing the glass vial with a screw cap containing a silicon septum, a capillary tube containing a drop of ink was inserted through the septum. The catalytic dissociation of H2O2 to water and oxygen increased the pressure inside the glass vial and raised the ink level in the capillary tube. The ink level increased with the platinum nanoparticle concentration, which is proportional to the TnI concentration. The sensitivity of this assay for TnI in human serum after a 5-min dissociation reaction, detected with the naked eye, was 0.1 ng/mL, which was better than the sensitivity of the conventional colorimetric method using the TMB oxidation reaction under the same experimental conditions. A control experiment using alpha-fetoprotein, interleukin-5, and C-reactive protein revealed that the developed method was highly selective for the detection of.

Communication: Anti-icing characteristics of superhydrophobic surfaces investigated by quartz crystal microresonators

We investigated the anti-icing characteristics of superhydrophobic surfaces with various morphologies by using quartz crystal microresonators. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) or ZnO nanorods were synthesized directly on gold-coated quartz crystal substrates and their surfaces were rendered hydrophobic via chemical modifications with octyltrichlorosilane (OTS), octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODS), or octadecanethiol (ODT). Four different hydrophobic nanostructures were prepared on the quartz crystals: ODT-modified hydrophobic plain gold (C18-Au), an OTS-modified AAO nanostructure (C8-AAO), an ODS-modified AAO nanostructure (C18-AAO), and ODT-modified ZnO nanorods (C18-ZnO). The water contact angles on the C18-Au, C8-AAO, C18-AAO, and C18-ZnO surfaces were measured to be 91.4°, 147.2°, 156.3°, and 157.8°, respectively. A sessile water droplet was placed on each quartz crystal and its freezing temperature was determined by monitoring the drastic changes in the resonance frequency and Q-factor upon freezing. The freezing temperature of a water droplet was found to decrease with decreases in the water contact radius due to the decreases in the number of active sites available for ice nucleation.

Characterization of Underwater Stability of Superhydrophobic Surfaces Using Quartz Crystal Microresonators

We synthesized porous aluminum oxide nanostructures directly on a quartz crystal microresonator and investigated the properties of superhydrophobic surfaces, including the surface wettability, water permeation, and underwater superhydrophobic stability. After increasing the pore diameter to 80 nm (AAO80), a gold film was deposited onto the AAO80 membrane, and the pore entrance size was reduced to 30 nm (AAO30). The surfaces of the AAO80 and AAO30 were made to be hydrophobic through chemical modification by incubation with octadecanethiol (ODT) or octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS), which produced three different types of superhydrophobic surfaces on quartz microresonators: OTS-modified AAO80 (OTS-AAO80), ODT-modified AAO30 (ODT-AAO30), and ODT-OTS-modified AAO30 (TS-AAO30). The loading of a water droplet onto a microresonator or the immersion of a resonator into water induced changes in the resonance frequency that corresponded to the water permeation into the nanopores. TS-AAO30 exhibited the best performance, with a low degree of water permeation, and a high stability. These features were attributed to the presence of sealed air pockets and the narrow pore entrance diameter.

Suspended polymer nanobridge on a quartz resonator

A chemical vapor sensor based on a free-standing polystyrene (PS) nanofilm suspended between the tines of a quartz tuning fork (QTF) is demonstrated. Exposure to ethanol vapor decreased the modulus of the PS membrane, which resulted in a decrease in the resonance frequency of the QTF as a function of ethanol concentration. The suspended PS membrane structure on the QTF allowed gas molecules to diffuse into the membrane from both the top and bottom allowing faster response. The QTF response time was found to be 6.5 times faster than the response time of a conventional PS film-coated resonator sensor.

Quartz Resonator for Simultaneously Measuring Changes in the Mass and Electrical Resistance of a Polyaniline Film

A novel quartz resonator was developed to measure, simultaneously, changes in the mass and electrical resistance of a polyaniline film during the absorption of water vapor. Interdigitated gold electrodes were vacuum-deposited on the sensing surfaces of the quartz crystals, and polyaniline films were drop-cast on the electrodes used to measure the changes in the electrical resistance. Two symmetric semicircular gold electrodes were deposited on the bottom surface of the quartz crystal. These electrodes were used to measure the changes in the mass of absorbed water based on the changes in the resonance frequency. The simultaneous measurements of mass and electrical resistance shed light on the interactions between the water vapor and the polyaniline film. The resonator was exposed to various organic gases, including ethanol, acetone, or chloroform, and each gas was found to produce characteristic changes in the normalized electrical resistance.

Highly stable superhydrophobic surfaces under flow conditions

We synthesized hydrophobic anodic aluminum oxide nanostructures with pore diameters of 35, 50, 65, and 80 nm directly on quartz crystal microresonators, and the stability of the resulting superhydrophobicity was investigated under flow conditions by measuring changes in the resonance frequency and dissipation factor. When the quartz substrates were immersed in water, their hydrophobic surfaces did not wet due to the presence of an air interlayer. The air interlayer was gradually replaced by water over time, which caused decreases in the resonance frequency (i.e., increases in mass) and increases in the dissipation factor (i.e., increases in viscous damping). Although the water contact angles of the nanostructures increased with increasing pore size, the stability of their superhydrophobicity increased with decreasing pore size under both static conditions (without flow) and dynamic conditions (with flow); this increase can be attributed to an increase in the solid surface area that interacts with the air ...