Giancarlo Corti

A novel enzymatic microreactor with Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase immobilized on silicon dioxide nanosprings.

The use of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanosprings as supports for immobilized enzymes in a continuous microreactor is described. A nanospring mat (2.2 cm2 × 60 μm thick) was functionalized with γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, then treated with N‐succinimidyl‐3‐(2‐pyridyldithio)‐propionate (SPDP) and dithiothreitol (DTT) to produce surface thiol (SH) groups. SPDP‐modified β‐galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae was immobilized on the thiolated nanosprings by reversible disulfide linkages. The enzyme‐coated nanospring mat was placed into a 175‐μm high microchannel, with the mat partially occluding the channel. The kinetics and steady‐state conversion of hydrolysis of o‐nitrophenyl β‐D‐galactosylpyranoside at various substrate flow rates and concentrations were measured. Substantial flow was observed through the nanosprings, for which the Darcy permeability κ ≈ 3 × 10−6 cm2. A simple, one‐parameter numerical model coupling Navier‐Stokes and Darcy flow with a pseudo‐first‐order reaction was used to fit the experimental data. Simulated reactor performance was sensitive to changes in κ and the height of the nanospring mat. Permeabilities lower than 10−8 cm2 practically eliminated convective flow through the nanosprings, and substantially decreased conversion. Increasing the height of the mat increased conversion in simulations, but requires more enzymes and could cause sealing issues if grown above channel walls. Preliminary results indicate that in situ regeneration by reduction with DTT and incubation with SPDP‐modified β‐galactosidase is possible. Nanosprings provide high solvent‐accessible surface area with good permeability and mechanical stability, can be patterned into existing microdevices, and are amenable to immobilization of biomolecules. Nanosprings offer a novel and useful support for enzymatic microreactors, biosensors, and lab‐on‐chip devices.

ZnO coated nanospring-based chemiresistors

Chemiresistors were constructed using 3-D silica nanospring mats coated with a contiguous film of ZnO nanocrystals. Chemiresistors with an average ZnO nanocrystal radius  20 nm, were found to exhibit a relative change in conductance of a factor of 50 upon exposure to a gas flow of 20% O2 and 80% N2 with ∼500 ppm of toluene and an operational temperature of 400 °C. Samples with an average ZnO nanocrystal radius of 15 nm were found to be the most responsive with a relative conductance change of a factor of 1000. The addition of metal nanoparticles (average radius equal to 2.4 nm) onto the surface of the ZnO nanocrystals (average radius equal to 15 nm) produced a relative change in conductance of a factor of 1500. For the optimum conditions (T = 400 °C, grain size ∼15 nm) well-defined spikes in conductance to explosive vapors (TNT, TATP) were obtained for 0.1 ms exposure time at ppb levels.

Thermal and optical activation mechanisms of nanospring-based chemiresistors.

Chemiresistors (conductometric sensor) were fabricated on the basis of novel nanomaterials—silica nanosprings ALD coated with ZnO. The effects of high temperature and UV illumination on the electronic and gas sensing properties of chemiresistors are reported. For the thermally activated chemiresistors, a discrimination mechanism was developed and an integrated sensor-array for simultaneous real-time resistance scans was built. The integrated sensor response was tested using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The distinguished electronic signatures of various chemical vapors were obtained at ppm level. It was found that the recovery rate at high temperature drastically increases upon UV illumination. The feasibility study of the activation method by UV illumination at room temperature was conducted.

Alternating current impedance spectroscopic analysis of biofunctionalized vertically-aligned silica nanospring surface for biosensor applications

In this study, alternating current impedance spectroscopic analysis of the biofunctionalization process of a vertically-aligned (silica) nanosprings (VANS) surface is presented. The VANS surface is functionalized with a biotinylated immunoglobulin G (B-IgG) layer formed by physisorption of B-IgG from the solution phase. Bovine serum albumin passivation of the B-IgG layer reduces additional surface adsorption by blocking the potential sites of weak bond formation via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. As avidin acts as a receptor of biotinylated compounds, avidin conjugated glucose oxidase (Av-GOx) binds to the B-IgG layer via biotin. This avidin-biotin bond is a stable bond with high association affinity (Ka = 1015 M−1) that withstands wide variations in chemistry and pH. An IgG layer without biotin shows no binding to the Av-GOx, indicating that bonding is through the avidin-biotin interaction. Finally, fluoroscein iso-thiocyanate (FITC) labeled biotinylated bovine serum albumin (B-BSA) added to...

Self-Assembled Monolayers of Thiols Adsorbed on Au/ZnO-Functionalized Silica Nanosprings: Photoelectron Spectroscopy-Analysis and Detection of Vaporized Explosives

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiols of L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, DL-thioctic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol, which have been selected for their propensity to interact with vaporized explosives, have been attached from solution onto gold decorated ZnO-coated nanosprings. X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS) have been used to investigate the surface electronic structure of the SAMs coated nanosprings. On the basis of XPS analysis, it has been determined that the packing densities of L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, DL-thioctic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol on gold (zinc oxide) are 5.42 × 10(14) (2.83 × 10(14)), 3.26 × 10(14) (2.54 × 10(14)), 9.50 × 10(13), 2.55 × 10(14) (1.12 × 10(14)), and 5.23 × 10(13) molecules/cm(2), respectively. A single S 2p core level doublet is observed for 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 11-(1-pyrenyl)-1-undecathiol, which is assigned to the S-Au bond. The S 2p core level for L-cysteine, 6-mercaptohexanol, and DL-thioctic acid consist of two doublets, where one is S-Au bond and the other is the S-Zn bond. Analysis of the C/S ratios agrees well with the stoichiometry of the respective thiols. UPS analysis shows that the hybridization of S 3p states and Au d-bands produces antibonding and bonding states, above and below the Au d-bands, which is characteristic of molecular chemisorption on Au nanoparticles. Gas sensors were constructed with thiolated nanosprings and their responsiveness to ammonium nitrate at 100-150 °C was tested. Nanosprings sensors functionalized with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 6-mercaptohexanol showed the strongest responses by a factor of 4 to 5 relative to the less responsive thiols. The response to ammonium nitrate can be correlated to the packing density and ordering of the SAMs.

Characterization of a vertically aligned silica nanospring-based sensor by alternating current impedance spectroscopy

In this study, the initial phase of development of a vertically aligned (silica) nanospring (VANS)-based sensor utilizing alternating current impedance spectroscopy is presented. The sensor is a capacitor consisting of two glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide, where the VANS are grown on one substrate, following a top-down approach, serving as the dielectric spacer layer. The sensitivity of the VANS sensors was evaluated using deionized water (of an effective 10?3 mM monovalent ion concentration) and saline-phosphate (SP) solutions of pH 7.3 with concentrations 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mM. Similar tests were performed with sensors without VANS or blank sensors. The modeling of the VANS impedance spectra required an equivalent circuit consisting of eight elements compared to four elements for the blank sensor. VANS sensors exhibited greater sensitivity to changes in the SP concentration relative to the blank sensors. The enhanced sensitivity is attributed to the addition of an ionic diffusion barrier at the VANS?solution interface and to ionic diffusion within the VANS.

Measurement of microbial activity in soil by colorimetric observation of in situ dye reduction: an approach to detection of extraterrestrial life

BackgroundDetecting microbial life in extraterrestrial locations is a goal of space exploration because of ecological and health concerns about possible contamination of other planets with earthly organisms, and vice versa. Previously we suggested a method for life detection based on the fact that living entities require a continual input of energy accessed through coupled oxidations and reductions (an electron transport chain). We demonstrated using earthly soils that the identification of extracted components of electron transport chains is useful for remote detection of a chemical signature of life. The instrument package developed used supercritical carbon dioxide for soil extraction, followed by chromatography or electrophoresis to separate extracted compounds, with final detection by voltammetry and tandem mass-spectrometry.ResultsHere we used Earth-derived soils to develop a related life detection system based on direct observation of a biological redox signature. We measured the ability of soil microbial communities to reduce artificial electron acceptors. Living organisms in pure culture and those naturally found in soil were shown to reduce 2,3-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCIP) and the tetrazolium dye 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide inner salt (XTT). Uninoculated or sterilized controls did not reduce the dyes. A soil from Antarctica that was determined by chemical signature and DNA analysis to be sterile also did not reduce the dyes.ConclusionObservation of dye reduction, supplemented with extraction and identification of only a few specific signature redox-active biochemicals such as porphyrins or quinones, provides a simplified means to detect a signature of life in the soils of other planets or their moons.

Response prediction of switched inductor/piezoelectric vibration suppression

Switched electromechanical shunts have been proposed as a method to suppress vibrations of a mechanical structure. In this method, a piezoelectric patch is attached to the vibrating structure. An inductor and series switch are shunted across the electrodes of the piezoelectric patch. At maximum and minimum displacements, the polarity of the charge on the patch is changed by closing the switch that shunts a piezoelectric element to ground through an inductor. The method is similar to an active velocity feedback technique where the forces from the piezoelectric patch to the structure always oppose the velocity. Previous work used numerical simulation to demonstrate the degree of vibration suppression that can be obtained with the switched electromechanical shunts method. In this paper, a novel and transparent algebraic closed-form expression is derived. This algebraic expression predicts the displacement amplitude of the vibrating structure with a switched shunt in terms of the mechanical properties of the structure, the electromechanical coupling coefficient, and the shunt parameters. The closed-form expression clearly shows which system parameters need to be changed to optimize the performance of this vibration suppression method. Experiments were performed that verified the theoretical closed-form expression for displacement amplitude. It was shown that the maximum suppression that can be obtained with this method is determined by the allowable voltage drop across the piezoelectric element.