title: Towards autonomous environmental monitoring systems.
abstract: The concept of micro total analysis systems (muTAS) or Lab-on-a-chip is based on the twin strategies of integration and miniaturisation that have been so successful in the electronics industry. This paper will look at the materials issues, particularly with respect to the new polymeric materials that are becoming available, and strategies for integrating optical (colorimetric) detection. The influence of breakthroughs in apparently unrelated areas on the range of chemistries that can be applied will be illustrated. For environmental monitoring, the further integration of wireless communications with micro-dimensioned analytical instruments and sensors will become the ultimate driving force. The emergence of these compact, self-sustaining, networked instruments will have enormous impact on all field-based environmental measurements.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Sensor Research, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sequeira
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: Edel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Minogue
authors.forename: Dermot
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Diamond