Bio-composite Materials for the Detection of Estrogen in Water Using Piezoresistive Microcantilever Sensors
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Bio-Composite Materials for the Detection of Estrogen in Water Using Piezoresistive Microcantilever Sensors Timothy L Porter1, Tim Vail2, Catherine R. Propper3 and Nazmul Islam4 1
Dept. of Physics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA. 2 Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA. 3 Dept. Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ USA. 4 Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Texas Brownsville, Brownsville, TX, USA.
ABSTRACT Embedded piezoresistive microcantilever (EPM) sensors were used to detect the presence of the compound estrogen in water samples. The sensor was fabricated with a host material hydrogel (Hypol) functionalized with estrogen antibody. This sensor was able to detect 1 ppm of estrogen in water, responding almost immediately to the estrogen addition, with a full sensor response (saturation) occurring after two minutes of exposure. INTRODUCTION Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) may have harmful effects on environment and animal and human health, including abnormalities in the reproductive systems, wildlife hermaphroditism and feminization [1-2]. Endocrine disrupting compounds are currently found in surface and ground effluent at biologically relevant concentrations. For example, the United States Geological Survey recently measured relevant levels of pharmaceuticals, hormones and industrial compounds in contaminated streams throughout the US, with similar results having been obtained throughout the industrialized world [3-4]. Field and laboratory studies with wastewater demonstrate the endocrine disrupting potential of various wastewater compounds, in particular chemicals with estrogenic activity that induce feminizination of fish and amphibians [5-6]. Estrogens are a group of steroid compounds, named for their importance in the estrous cycle. The environmental implications of these findings are only just beginning to be understood. As the world becomes increasingly vigilant about estrogen activity, the demand for rapid, on-site, real-time detection is expanding quickly. It has become imperative to develop a rapid, inexpensive assay that water managers can use throughout to evaluate the level of estrogens in 1) the wastewater released as effluent, 2) the wastewater that is reclaimed for use in directly recharging aquifers or developing wildlife refuges, and 3) the ground and other surface waters that may receive indirect recharge from these resources. Embedded piezoresistive microcantilever (EPM) sensors may be used in a variety of applications, including medical, chemical or in some cases biological sensing [7-14]. EPM sensors operate by embedding or partially embedding a small piezoresistive microcantilever into a custom designed sensing material. The sensing material is typically synthesized so as to respond volumetrically to the presence of the target chemical or biological analyte. Sensing materials used in EPM applications may include common organic polymers, composite
polymer/biomolecule mater
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