Abstract
Current gravimetric biosensors are based on thin quartz crystals, either in the form of resonant crystals [quartz crystal microbalance, QCM], or as surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices. Both systems require the piezoelectricity of the quartz for their operation. The mass response of the majority of these methods improves as the thickness of the crystal is reduced to a physical limit of about 150 microns which, for many applications, gives inadequate sensitivity. A new system is described in which acoustic waves are launched in very thin polymer layers, of thickness less than 10 microns, to produce an oscillatory device. A theoretical equation for the system is presented, which is almost identical to the well known Sauerbrey equation used in the QCM method. However, because of the thinness of the polymers used, an increase in sensitivity by a factor of about 30 is predicted. Improvements of this magnitude were verified by simple tests where known surface masses were applied. Temperature sensitivity is a problem, so a separate control sensor is used, together with careful temperature regulation of the solutions being measured.
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