Nano-optics based sensing
We combine advanced nano-optics with microfluidics to develop novel and highly sensitive and lab-on-a-chip plasmonic and dielectric biochemical sensors.
Beyond pushing the limits of colorimetric sensing, we are also interested in enhanced enantio-sensitive detection in the VIS - IR domain.
Motivation
Fields as diverse as clinical diagnosis, biomolecular engineering, drug design and the food industry, all have in common an increasing need for bioanalytical tools that are sensitive, specific, fast, and provide high throughput results. Ideally, such tools should be portable, compact, and have both a low production and operational cost. Put together, these requirements have dramatically increased the level of complexity of many experiments beyond the capabilities of current approaches, which has prompted researchers to combine several technologies and disciplines into a new type of toolbox. These novel analytical platforms, so called lab-on-a-chip, are miniaturized versions of classical bioanalytical tools that mostly commonly exploit microfluidic technology with state-of-the-art optics to specifically address these needs.
Research focus
- Integrating microfluidic technology with localized surface plasmon resonance to achieve multiparallel detection of biomarkers in real-time.
- Enantio-sensitive molecular detection using metallic and dielectric nano-resonators.
- Developing new lab-on-a-chip architectures that combine plasmonics, microfluidics, and spectroscopy to enhance sensitivity and reduce assay time beyond the molecular diffusion limit.
- Designing novel sensors and optimizing detection protocols to perform on-chip read-out.