Microcantilever biosensor: sensing platform, surface characterization and multiscale modeling

Chuin-Shan Chen, Shu Kuan, Tzu-Hsuan Chang, Chia-Ching Chou, Shu-Wei Chang and Long-Sun Huang

Abstract

The microcantilever (MCL) sensor is one of the most promising platforms for next-generation label-free biosensing applications. It outperforms conventional label-free detection methods in terms of portability and parallelization. In this paper, an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the coupling between biomolecular interactions and MCL responses is given. A dual compact optical MCL sensing platform was built to enable biosensing experiments both in gas-phase environments and in solutions. The thermal bimorph effect was found to be an effective nanomanipulator for the MCL platform calibration. The study of the alkanethiol self-assembly monolayer (SAM) chain length effect revealed that 1-octanethiol (C8H17SH) induced a larger deflection than that from 1-dodecanethiol (C12H25SH) in solutions. Using the clinically relevant biomarker Creactive protein (CRP), we revealed that the analytical sensitivity of the MCL reached a diagnostic level of 1~500

Key Words

microcantilever (MCL); label-free; biomolecular interaction; biosensing; self-assembly; antigen; microfluidics; x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); multiscale modeling.

Address

Chuin-Shan Chen, Tzu-Hsuan Chang, Chia-Ching Chou and Shu-Wei Chang: Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan Shu Kuan and Long-Sun Huang: Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

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