Key Benefits
- Immunoassay compatible
- Tag free detection
- Greater specificity
- High Speed
- Robust solid state optical
Sensing Applications
Stratophase produce two ranges of products applicable to sensing. Firstly the SpectroSens biochemical sensors provide very sensitive analysis of chemical composition and biomolecular interactions. Secondly the wavelength conversion products can be used to generate mid-IR light for remote chemical detection.
SpectroSens - Biochemical Sensing
SpectroSens chips
detect biological or chemical substances and monitor biomolecular
interactions by measuring
the
change on the surface of the sensor. As a surface sensor, SpectroSens
chips can be applied to any application that provides detection by
interaction with a surface coating or surface preparation, such as an
immunoassay. When a pre-applied surface coating is modified by its
interaction with the target material the change in its surface
properties can be accurately detected. This detection is conducted in
a tagless configuration. Binding or other interaction with the
surface is detected without having to provide a fluorescent, magnetic
or other tag on the target molecule. Unlike other technologies, the
depth of surface that is probed can also be tuned to suit different
applications or provide additional information to reduce false
positives. All of this functionality is provided with a standard
glass interface to the sample, making SpectroSens solutions
compatible with a wide range of samples and surface preparation
techniques.
SpectroSens is unlike competitive technologies such as Surface Plasmon Reasonance (SPR) because it is monolithic and so is very robust, it is also self-referenced on chip to remove temperature effects. A further advantage is that SpectroSens works at multiple wavelengths simultaneously thus providing additional spectral information.
There are many applications of SpectroSens including:
- Security, where pathogens and toxic industrial chemicals need to be monitored in low concentrations
- Drug discovery where SpectroSens can be used in an array format to screen reactivity between potential drugs and their targets
- Pharmaceutical research and development where affinity reaction kinetics need to be monitored
- Process control where small changes in the composition of a liquid need to be monitored and many other applications
- Food and beverage manufacture where contamination and liquid compositon need to be controlled.
Process Control
Refractive index measurement is often used in industrial process control to monitor changes in liquids. SpectroSens offers a solution to monitor refractive index extremely precisely using small chips which can either be integrated into the processing system or use a small sample tube to draw a very small sample around the detector. The SpectroSens device can monitor refractive index at multiple wavelengths and so give more information on the chemical mixture . The SpectroSens chips are all optical and can be networked with optical fibre making them ideal for instrumentation of processes where flammable liquids are present.
Remote chemical detection using mid-infrared lasers
Mid-infrared lasers can be used for chemical spectroscopy and detection. In the 1.5-5µm region of the spectrum many chemicals have a characteristic absorption spectra and there are also several atmospheric transmission windows in this region of the spectrum which enables remote detection. Mid infra-red lasers sources required for remote sensing have been available for some time in laboratories but are frequently bulky and require power hungry cooling systems. Stratophase is able to offer bespoke compact mid infra-red sources using its periodically poled lithium niobate technology to convert the output of common laser source to the mid-IR region of the spectrum. This technology enables the development of robust, portable, mid IR sources.