Authors: M.I. Rocha-Gaso, J.V. García, L. El Fissi, L. Francis,  A. Arnau, Y. Jiménez, C. March, A. Montoya

Event: Biosensors 2012, 22 World Congress on Biosensors. Cancún, México (2012)

 

Love wave (LW) sensors have attracted a great deal of attention in the scientific community during the last decade, due to its high sensitivity in liquid media compared to traditional quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based sensors. However, one of the main issues when dealing with LW-based biosensors is the fluidic aspect, since the surface on top of the Interdigital transducers (IDTs) has to be isolated from liquids. A user-friendly flow cell for LW biosensors was fabricated and tested. The fabricated cell allows a fast and easy installation and replacement of the sensor. Friendly-usability and robustness are two central features of the fabricated LW flow cell. Mechanical, thermal, electrical and chemical requirements are considered. In order to test the cell, a LW immunosensor for the detection of pesticides, using carbaryl insecticide as a model analyte, was implemented. An AT-cut quartz Z propagating /SiO₂ LW sensor with λ = 40 μm and 120 MHz center frequency was specifically designed and fabricated for the flow cell. The sensor does not need to be wire bonded, which is a great advantage over previous reported LW sensor setups. The sensitivity, specificity and reusability achieved with this LW immunosensor is discussed and compared to the same immunosensor carried out on a QCM-based technique.