A versatile QCM matrix system for online and high-throughput bio-sensing.
A 3 x 3 quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor matrix, fabricated on an A-T cut quartz crystal, has the ability to detect online a variety of labeled DNA samples in a parallel and comparative fashion. The QCM matrix was equipped with a single oscillator circuit, which activated only one QCM at any given time, and was controlled by programmable time-shared electronic relays. The gold electrode had a diameter of 0.8 mm and operated at a fundamental resonating frequency of 40 MHz; the dimensions of the matrix were 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm. The sensitivity of an individual QCM was in the pictogram regime. Selected QCMs were coated with either streptavidin or the anti-DIG antibody; the specificity of their detections was monitored using various concentrations of samples of biotin- and DIG-labeled DNA. The basic design of the QCM matrix is readily expandable, without any conceivable difficulties, in both geometry and circuitry.
Institute of Nanotechnology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan. gstevehuang@mail.nctu.edu.tw
G Steve
GS
Huang
Menq-Te
MT
Wang
Meng-Yen
MY
Hong
D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D003460:Crystallization; D004566:Electrodes; D017022:Flow Injection Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011791:Quartz; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*
D011791:Quartz; D006046:Gold