Integrated Smart Wireless SAW Sensors and Systems: In many applications, sensors and data collection processing must be distributed and placed in inhospitable or inaccessible environments. This complicates sensor and system design by requiring devices with small size, rugged construction, efficient power supply for active components, communications for derived information, and simple installation with a minimum amount of infrastructure and overhead. In this project we are developing integrated smart wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors and systems composed of distributed wireless SAW sensors, sensor communication transceivers, and a centralized host. New generations of SAW microsensors provide measurements of a wide range of physical and chemical parameters, including: temperature, pressure, chemical concentration, gas concentrations, etc. Compatible with integrated circuit-processing techniques, SAW devices can and will be combined with active ASIC circuitry into integrated smart SAW sensors.

Early Detection of Prostate Cancer: In the project we are developing novel concept of Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) acoustic sensors. According to the American Cancer Society Facts and Figures, there would be an estimated 220,000 new cases of prostate cancer (CaP) in the year 2003 with around 28,000 men succumbing to the disease. Therefore being able to successfully treat prostate cancer would have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality for a large group of individuals. Two assays will be performed simultaneously. One assay will use a monoclonal antibody that recognizes both fPSA and PSA-ACT (Mab PSA399) to determine the concentration of tPSA. The other assay, which will measure fPSA, will use Mab PSB999, which recognizes an epitope present on fPSA but masked on PSA-ACT. The binding of antigen to the immobilized antibodies will alter the mass of the sensor membrane thus causing a drop in the wave velocity, which is correlated to the resonance frequency of the device. FPW will have distinct advantages over previously established assays, as it will allow for increased sensitivity to reliably detect very low concentrations of PSA-ACT. Furthermore, a FPW device will also be cheaper to operate, allow for the development of a small hand held device and not use radioactivity. ELISA kits used to detect PSA require separate steps, each with separate reagents. Each ELISA analysis requires a separate distinct reaction and, in addition, requires a label for detection of the analyte. Our proposed method needs no label or distinct reagents and is therefore, much easy and simpler to implement.

Steam Trap Acoustic/Ultrasonic Analysis: This project is a collaboration between Armstrong International Inc. and my lab. We are studying and analyzing the acoustic and ultrasonic signature of steam traps under various operational conditions. The study and analysis is aimed at identifying specific acoustic and ultrasonic indicators of the instantaneous and nominal operating mode of Armstrong International steam traps. Once indicators have been defined, a method to measure the indicators and provide meaningful system status will be devised.

Micromachined Wireless Dosimeters for In-Situ Radiation Measurement: In this project we are developing wireless dosimeters for in-situ radiation measurements. These dosimeters can be used to monitor the delivered radiation to the patients going through radiation therapy for cancer treatment. We are developing both ex-vivo (outside the body) and implantable systems and are also targeting applications such as nuclear smuggling and environmental monitoring. (Collaborating with Purdue University).

Nanowires and Nanoparticles Microsensors: In this project we have synthesized and fabricated parallel arrays of Palladium nanowires using nanotemplate manufacturing approach for hydrogen gas detection. Magnetically manipulated nickel nanoparticles and nanowires have also been prepared which have the potential to revolutionize current data storage technologies and cell recognition. We have studied the morphology of the deposited nanoparticles using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in non-contact mode. Carbon nanotubes have been functionalized for biological sensing applications.