In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the real-time detection and collection of airborne biothreats due to the challenges highlighted by events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the persistent concerns surrounding bioterrorism, bioweapons, and biowarfare in the realms of defense and national security. The study presents a solution to the limitations of inertia-based devices in capturing nanoscale biothreats, such as viral particles. It introduces a device that increases particle size by inducing water vapor condensation and heterogeneous nucleation on nanoparticles. Experimental results demonstrate its effectiveness in enlarging 0.4 µm polystyrene particles to approximately 2 µm. The device, featuring three segments, employs a stratified air and water flow and utilizes the principle that the mass diffusivity of water vapor in air surpasses the thermal diffusivity of air to create supersaturated conditions. Importantly, this device can seamlessly integrate with existing inertial-based systems, thereby enhancing their capability to capture nanoscale bioaerosols and improving collection and enrichment efficiency.
Airborne viruses and bacteria are the cause of many deaths annually worldwide. Biosensors allow for the specific detection of target molecules and can be used in conjunction with a capture device to create a standalone system to monitor the air for airborne pathogens. To be able to detect multiple biothreats, a multiplex biosensor functionalized with different aptamers can be used. This multiplex sensor is composed of a series of compact sensors each with a unique aptamer immobilized onto the sensor surface. Here, we report on a compact, aptamer-based biosensor that allows for multiple sensors to go in series with a capture device to detect Ebola virus soluble Glycoprotein (sGP).
KEYWORDS: Biosensing, Microfluidics, Biological and chemical sensing, Atmospheric particles, Weapons of mass destruction, Explosives, Defense technologies, Defense and security
Real-time collection and detection are crucial to mitigate airborne biothreats as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate the collection and enrichment of aerosolized polystyrene microparticles using stratified air-water flow in U-shaped and spiral microchannels. Collection efficiencies calculated from multiphase flow simulations show good agreement with the experiment data. The U-shaped channel demonstrates poor particle capture efficiency for submicron particles. To aid this, a two-stage spiral microchannel is designed and fabricated, which shows a 60% higher average particle capture efficiency for submicron particles. Thus, the microchannels enable enrichment and capture of microparticles in sensing-ready solutions.
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