A lab-on-nanotips composed out of an array of lab-on-molecules - A Multidimensional ECL Analytical Laboratory at Fiber Optical Multi-Tips (MULTIDIM-LAB)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Schmittel
• Subject Area: Analytical Chemistry
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 157226410

It is the goal and vision of this joint project between groups in Bordeaux and Siegen to mount a high-density sensoric array of multifaceted essence at the 6000 nanotips of a multi-fiber optical bundle (lab-on-tips) thus enabling n-dimensional (bio)chemical analysis by electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and photoluminescence (PL). As ECL has become a powerful quantitative analytical technique for immunoassays, food / water testing and many individual analytes, the present endeavour seeks to establish a full analytical laboratory at the global tip of a 300 μm (diameter) optical waveguide with its 6000 individual fibers. To accomplish this goal, the fiber optical nanotips (diameter: 3 μm; apex: 30 nm curvature radius) need to be addressed in an individually guided and spatially highly defined electropolymerization / functionalization process, such that each individual tip may be equipped with a distinct sensoric ECL system conductively connected to the electroactive surface by an electropolymeric backbone. The development of such a sophisticated lab-on-tips system requires technological progress of the fiber optical system (Bordeaux: light injection in each single fiber, electropolymerisation at the conductive ITO-coated nanotips, photopatterning at the nanometric scale) and fundamentally new organic technologies (Siegen: electro-and photoresponsive monomers, new ECL/PL probes that themselves constitute lab-on-molecules). The more individual ECL/PL sensors are mounted, the more it should be possible to analyze even utmost complex analyte mixtures in a quantitative manner by twochannel detection, in particular after use of training methods based on probabilistic neural networks.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Neso Sojic