University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Thin Layer Chromatography for the Smartphone Biosensor

Pillarisetti, Venkata

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/55485

Description

Title
Thin Layer Chromatography for the Smartphone Biosensor
Author(s)
Pillarisetti, Venkata
Contributor(s)
Cunningham, Brian
Issue Date
2014-05
Keyword(s)
  • thin layer chromatography
  • smartphone biosensor
Abstract
The research project makes use of thin layer chromatography (TLC) to identify and tag different mixtures, molecules or compositions and also their concentration within any given sample. TLC plates are covered with an adsorbent, usually silica or alumina, but any other material can also be used depending upon the molecules we are trying to detect. The solvent mixture/molecule is placed at the very bottom of the plate which rises up due to the adsorbent as a result of capillary action. We then picture and analyze the spots on the plate under UV light to classify the mixture/molecule and also come up with useful statistics such as concentration. An example is when two or more samples of the same mixture are used and their distance from the bottom of the plate and their size and positions are measured and analyzed to find their respective concentrations and/or to check counterfeit samples. Being a part of the smartphone biosensor project, a cradle is created that is customized for each phone we are trying to use to detect these molecules in the solvent mixture. The cradle is customized to fit the smartphone in question, a UV light, and has a crevice to fit in the TLC plate for analysis. This picture taken from the smartphone is then fed into the computer and analyzed using software and settings dependent upon the kind of mixture/molecule. The results so far have been very encouraging and we are trying to increase the number of compatible phones by designing new and improved cradles. We encountered some problems regarding the minimum concentration that the smartphone biosensors can detect but we are actively working to increase the range of detection.
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/55485

Owning Collections

Senior Theses - Electrical and Computer Engineering PRIMARY
The best of ECE undergraduate research