Development of a lab on a chip for nerve agent detection

• Main Author: Tan, Hsih Yin
• Other Authors: Nguyen Nam-Trung
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Microelectronics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/42380
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

An escalating number of threats in terrorist activities had led to an urgent demand for innovative devices for on-site detection of chemical and biological agents as well as explosive materials. Rapid and sensitive detection of chemical and biological warfare agents (CWA) could provide an early ‘alarm’ of their release, therefore minimizing civilian casualties. Point-of-care diagnosis of individuals who are potentially exposed to chemical warfare agents will allow first-responder health providers to react quickly and efficiently. Health authority can then provide optimal, case-appropriate health care, and convince the unexposed individuals of their health safety. Such devices are required to encompass powerful analytical performance, low energy consumption and high portability. Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) devices offer great promise for converting large and sophisticated instruments into powerful field-deployable analyzers where liquids are manipulated in a network of microchannels. Designing and fabricating miniaturized field-deployable devices whilst retaining the high sensitivity and selectivity of sophisticated laboratory-based instruments present multiple challenges. In this work, the components and systems for detection the presence of CWA or its degraded by-products in aqueous mediums were developed.