Biomedical subjects

William G Morris

Publications and source records attributed to William G Morris.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Multianalyte chemical identification and quantitation using a single radio frequency identification sensor.

We demonstrate an approach for multianalyte chemical identification and quantitation using a single conventional radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that has been adapted for chemical sensing. Unlike other approaches of using RFID sensors, where a special tag should be designed at a much higher cost, we utilize a conventional RFID tag and coat it with a chemically sensitive film. As an example, we demonstrate detection of several vapors of industrial, health, law enforcement, and security interest (ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, water vapors) with a single 13.56-MHz RFID tag coated with a solid polymer electrolyte sensing film. By measuring simultaneously several parameters of the complex impedance from such an RFID sensor and applying multivariate statistical analysis methods, we were able to identify and quantify several vapors of interest. With a careful selection of the sensing film and measurement conditions, we achieved parts-per-billion vapor detection limits in air. These RFID sensors are very attractive as ubiquitous multianalyte distributed sensor networks.

Acetonitriles↗

PubMed2006

Chemical sensors based on micromachined transducers with integrated piezoresistive readout.

We demonstrate an approach for the development of chemical sensors utilizing silicon micromachined physical transducers with integrated piezoresistive readout. Originally, these transducers were developed and optimized as sensitive accelerometers for automotive applications. However, by applying a chemically responsive layer onto the transducer, we convert these transducers into chemical sensors. These transducers are attractive for chemical sensing applications for several key reasons. First, the required sensitivity of the chemical sensor can be achieved by choosing the right spring constant of the transducer. Second, the integrated piezoresistive readout of the transducer is already optimized and is very straightforward, providing a desired reproducibility in measurements, while not requiring bulky equipment. Third, chemically responsive film deposition is simple due to the ease of access to the transducer's surface. Fourth, such transducers are already available for another (automotive) application, making these sensors very cost-effective. The applicability of this approach is illustrated by the fabrication of highly sensitive CO2 sensors. To study hysteresis effects, we selected high CO2 concentrations (10-100% CO2) to provide the worst-case scenario for the sensor operation. These sensors demonstrate a hysteresis-free performance over the concentration range from 10 to 100% vol CO2, have detection limits of 160-370 ppm of CO2, and exhibit a relatively rapid response time, T(90) = 45 s. Importantly, we demonstrate a simple method for cancellation of vibration effects when these physical transducers, initially developed as accelerometers, are applied as chemical sensors.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Analog signal acquisition from computer optical disk drives for quantitative chemical sensing.

Optoelectronic consumer products that are widely employed in the office and home attract attention for optical sensor applications due to (1) their cost advantage over analytical instruments produced only in small quantities, (2) robustness in operation due to the detailed manufacturability improvements, and (3) ease of operation. We demonstrate here a new approach for quantitative chemical/biochemical sensing when analog signals are acquired from conventional optical disk drives, and these signals are used for quantitative detection of optical changes of sensor films deposited on conventional CD and DVD optical disks. Because we do not alter manufacturing process of optical disks, any disk can be employed for deposition and readout of sensor films. The optical disk drives also perform their original function of reading and writing digital content to optical media because no optical modifications are introduced to obtain the analog signal. Such a sensor platform is quite universal and can be applied for chemical and biological quantitative detection, as well as for monitoring of changes of physical properties of regions deposited onto a CD or DVD (e.g., during combinatorial screening of materials). As a model example, we demonstrate the concept using chemical detection of ionic species such as Ca2+ in liquids (e.g., blood, urine, or water). Colorimetric calcium-sensitive sensor films were deposited onto a DVD, exposed to water with different concentrations of Ca2+, and quantified in the optical disk drive. The developed lab-on-DVD system demonstrated a 5 ppm detection limit of Ca2+ determinations, similar or slightly better than that achieved using a conventional fiber-optic portable spectrometer. This detection limit corresponded to a 0.023 absorbance unit resolution, as determined by the measurement of the same colorimetric films with a portable spectrometer. Determinations of Ca2+ unknowns using the lab-on-DVD system demonstrated +/-5 ppm accuracy and 2-5% relative standard deviation precision in predicting 100 ppm Ca2+.

Biosensing Techniques↗

PubMed2006

High-throughput determination of quantitative structure-property relationships using a resonant multisensor system: solvent resistance of bisphenol a polycarbonate copolymers.

Polymers are important materials for sensor, microfluidic, and other demanding applications. High-throughput screening methodology has been applied for the evaluation of the solvent resistance of a family of polycarbonate copolymers prepared from the reaction of bisphenol A (BPA), hydroquinone (HQ), and resorcinol (RS) in different solvents of practical importance, such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). We employed a 24-channel acoustic-wave sensor system that provided previously unavailable capabilities for parallel evaluation of polymer solvent resistance. This high-throughput polymer evaluation approach assisted in construction of detailed solvent-resistance maps of polycarbonate copolymers and in determination of quantitative structure-property relationships. The best absolute solvent resistance of all studied copolymers was achieved in MEK, followed by chloroform and THF. A D-optimal mixture design was employed to explore the relationship between the copolymer compositions and their solvent resistance. The applied special cubic model for each solvent took into account the primary mixture terms such as BPA, HQ, and RS; binary interaction terms such as BPA-HQ, BPA-RS, and HQ-RS; and a ternary interaction term BPA-HQ-RS. A combination of the normal distribution of the model residuals and the very high values of adjusted R2 (0.97-0.99) demonstrated a good quality of the model. At a HQ concentration of 40 mol %, the solvent resistance was the highest for all tested solvents, and different concentrations of BPA (40 and 60 mol %) and RS (0 and 20 mol %) did not affect the solvent resistance. Without HQ, solvent resistance was decreasing with an increase of RS and decrease of BPA. Overall, with an increase of HQ concentration from 0 to 40 mol %, the solvent resistance of BPA-HQ-RS copolymers was improved by up to 3 times in THF, by 21 times in chloroform, and by 32 times in MEK.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of combinatorial chemistry methods for coatings: high-throughput adhesion evaluation and scale-up of combinatorial leads.

Coupling of combinatorial chemistry methods with high-throughput (HT) performance testing and measurements of resulting properties has provided a powerful set of tools for the 10-fold accelerated discovery of new high-performance coating materials for automotive applications. Our approach replaces labor-intensive steps with automated systems for evaluation of adhesion of 8 x 6 arrays of coating elements that are discretely deposited on a single 9 x 12 cm plastic substrate. Performance of coatings is evaluated with respect to their resistance to adhesion loss, because this parameter is one of the primary considerations in end-use automotive applications. Our HT adhesion evaluation provides previously unavailable capabilities of high speed and reproducibility of testing by using a robotic automation, an expanded range of types of tested coatings by using the coating tagging strategy, and an improved quantitation by using high signal-to-noise automatic imaging. Upon testing, the coatings undergo changes that are impossible to quantitatively predict using existing knowledge. Using our HT methodology, we have developed several coatings leads. These HT screening results for the best coating compositions have been validated on the traditional scales of coating formulation and adhesion loss testing. These validation results have confirmed the superb performance of combinatorially developed coatings over conventional coatings on the traditional scale.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of combinatorial chemistry methods for coatings: high-throughput weathering evaluation and scale-up of combinatorial leads.

Combinatorial screening of materials formulations followed by the scale-up of combinatorial leads has been applied for the development of high-performance coating materials for automotive applications. We replaced labor-intensive coating formulation, testing, and measurement with a "combinatorial factory" that includes robotic formulation of coatings, their deposition as 48 coatings on a 9x12-cm plastic substrate, accelerated performance testing, and automated spectroscopic and image analysis of resulting performance. This high-throughput (HT) performance testing and measurement of the resulting properties provided a powerful set of tools for the 10-fold accelerated discovery of these coating materials. Performance of coatings is evaluated with respect to their weathering, because this parameter is one of the primary considerations in end-use automotive applications. Our HT screening strategy provides previously unavailable capabilities of (1) high speed and reproducibility of testing by using robotic automation and (2) improved quantification by using optical spectroscopic analysis of discoloration of coating-substrate structure and automatic imaging of the integrity loss of coatings. Upon testing, the coatings undergo changes that are impossible to quantitatively predict using existing knowledge. Using our HT methodology, we have developed several cost-competitive coatings leads that match the performance of more costly coatings. These HT screening results for the best coating compositions have been validated on the traditional scales of coating formulation and weathering testing. These validation results have confirmed the improved weathering performance of combinatorially developed coatings over conventional coatings on the traditional scale.

Coated Materials, Biocompatible↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Resonant multisensor system for high-throughput determinations of solvent/polymer interactions.

Solvent-resistant polymers are important in numerous research, engineering, and consumer applications. To address the limitations of existing methods of evaluation of polymer solubility and solvent resistance, we developed and built a 6 x 4 array of resonant acoustic-wave sensors operating in the thickness shear mode (TSM). The application of this system makes possible analysis of nanogram quantities of polymers in small amounts of solvent and permits the simultaneous analysis of multiple samples, such as those produced in combinatorial polymerization reactions. These parallel determinations of polymer/solvent interactions eliminate errors associated with serial determinations. During the periodic exposure of the TSM crystals to polymer/solvent combinations, the mass increase of the crystal is determined, which is proportional to the amount of polymer dissolved and deposited onto the sensor from a polymer solution. We demonstrate our sensor system for reliable quantification of solubility of several types of polymers in various solvents. The high mass sensitivity of our resonant TSM sensors (10 ng), use of only a minute volume of a solvent (< 2 mL), and parallel operation (matching a layout of available 24 well plates) make this system a good fit with available polymer combinatorial synthesis equipment.

Journal Article↗