Title :
Micromechanical sensors for the measurement of biopolymer degradation
Author :
Keller, S.S. ; Gammelgaard, L. ; Jensen, M.P. ; Schmid, S. ; Davis, Z.J. ; Boisen, A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Micro- & Nanotechnol., Tech. Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
Abstract :
We present microcantilever-based sensors for the characterization of biopolymer degradation by enzymes. Thin films of Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) were spray-coated onto SU-8 cantilevers with well-known material properties and dimensions. The micromechanical sensors were immersed in solutions of proteinase K to investigate enzymatic degradation of PLLA. A decrease of the resonance frequency after immersion indicated degradation of the biopolymer coating and allowed the estimation of the degradation rate at a specific enzyme concentration.
Keywords :
Young´s modulus; bioMEMS; biochemistry; biodegradable materials; biological techniques; cantilevers; enzymes; microsensors; molecular biophysics; polymer films; spray coatings; POLY(L-lactide) thin films; SU-8 cantilevers; biopolymer coating; biopolymer degradation; enzymes; immersion; microcantilever-based sensors; micromechanical sensors; proteinase K; resonance frequency; spray coating; Coatings; Degradation; Frequency measurement; Gold; Proteins; Resonant frequency;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2011 IEEE 24th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Cancun
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-9632-7
Electronic_ISBN :
1084-6999
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.2011.5734460
