Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Optical Detection of E. coli Bacteria by Mesoporous Silicon Biosensors
Published on: November 20, 2013
rHuEPO-α Biosensing by Porous Silicon Integrated into Microchannels via Reflectometric Interference Fourier Transform
Fatemeh Aliabadi1, Fereshteh Rahimi1, Ali Abouei Mehrizi2
1Department of Nanobiotechnology and Biomimetics, School of Life Science Engineering, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran 1439957131, Iran.
Abstract:
The performance of biosensors integrated into microfluidic devices is strongly influenced by the geometry of the microchannels. In this study, the effect of microchannel height, as the most significant geometrical factor, on the sensitivity of the porous silicon (PSi)-based biosensor was investigated for the detection of recombinant human erythropoietin-α (rHuEPO-α) using reflectometric interference Fourier transform spectroscopy. Microchannels were fabricated using the soft lithography method, and a specific aptamer for rHuEPO-α was employed as the bioreceptor. The refractive index sensitivity of oxidized PSi was measured to be 6230 ± 64 nm/RIU. Reducing the microchannel height from 110 to 38 μm increased the probability of biomolecules penetration into the PSi pores, decreased the dissociation constant (KD, based on the Hill equation), and improved the limit of detection (LOD) from 516.8 to 1.5 nM. The modification of the PSi surface by rHuEPO-α aptamer not only enabled the selective capture of rHuEPO-α but also significantly enhanced the signal (by approximately 200 times) and improved its robustness.
