| LCI News |
July
24,
2008 |
CPIP
Prof. Qihuo Wei has recently secured a research grant from the National
Science
Foundation (NSF),
Division of Electrical, Communications and
Cyber Systems. The award will support a three-year project on "Scaling
laws for nano-field-effect-transistor biosensors" performed collaboratively
by researchers at Kent State University (lead institution) and Ohio
State University. Wei is the Principal Investigator of the project.
The goal of this project is to develop fundamental understanding of
the limits of sensitivity and detection thresholds of nanoscale field
effect transistor biosensors.
Update
on September 26, 2008:
Fighting Bioterrorism Through Single Molecule Detection
Kent State Research to Seek Hazards at the Smallest Levels
Kent State University’s Qihuo Wei, an assistant professor of the Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, recently received a grant to support research that may lead to better detection of bioterror agents at the molecular level.
The grant will support Professor Wei’s three year project titled, “Scaling laws for nano-field-effect-transistor biosensors.”
Wei’s research will be supported by a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). By developing a fundamental understanding of the size dependencies of such devices, Wei’s ultimate goal is to push its sensitivity to the limit leading to single molecule detection.
“Detection of trace amount chemical and biological molecules is highly demanded in various applications, ranging from disease diagnostics in health care to explosive detection in homeland defense,” Wei explained.
According to Dr. Oleg Lavrentovich, Director of the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State, securing the grant is a major accomplishment as the project focuses on research funded by NSF’s Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems. Research at the Liquid Crystal Institute is typically funded by the NSF’s Division of Materials Sciences.
“The new project is different in the sense that it goes beyond the traditional scope of soft materials and liquid crystals,” Lavrentovich said. “The goal of Professor Wei's project is to develop fundamental understanding on what are the limits of sensitivity and detection thresholds of nanoscale field effect transistor biosensors.”
According to Wei, nanoscale field-effect-transistor biosensors are made of chemically functionalized semiconductor nanostructures. Such sensors are only about one thousandth of the diameter of a human hair; but, can sense the presence or a change of chemical and biological materials in the environment.
The project is a collaboration between Kent State University and Ohio State University with Wei serving as the lead investigator. The NSF grant provides support for one graduate and one undergraduate student to assist Wei.
“We are looking forward to the new breakthroughs in the area of
Professor Wei's research that would further advance the LCI mission as
the generator of the new cutting-edge knowledge and technologies of the
future,” Lavrentovich said.
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Media Contact:
Lindsay Kuntzman, 330-672-9776, lkuntzm1@kent.edu
Dr. Qihuo Wei, qihuo@lci.kent.edu