SPR as a Tool for Screening of Selective Organic Coatings for Nanomechanical Sensors

Our studies focus on nanoscale sensors based on the interaction between thin organic coatings and molecular species from the chemical or biochemical environment. Our particular approach is to use Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) method for evaluation of coatings that may impart selectivity to nanomechanical sensors. One of our objectives is to identify relationships between the bending of a microcantilever transducer with the organic coating and the partitioning behavior of the same coating when subjected to volatile organic compounds in a gas phase. While bending responses of microcantilevers with various organic coatings has been reported recently, partitioning characteristics of these and similar coatings are not sufficiently known. By revisiting the SPR method, we seek to screen a larger number of organic compounds for their potential in nanomechanical multi-sensor arrays.