Jesus Jara Fornerod, Maximiliano; (2023) Mesoporous nanoarchitectures for electrochemical biosensors. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Text PhD Thesis- Mesoporous nanoarchitectures for biosensing applications -MJF_revised.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 April 2026. Download (8MB)

Abstract

As has become apparent with the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, access to accurate, inexpensive diagnostics is essential to prevent the spread of diseases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), served as principal diagnostic platform during the pandemic. Yet, the extensive use of this method has highlighted its fundamental limitations, including long time-to-result, lack of portability, and the need for specialized equipment and trained personnel to perform assays. Electrochemical pathogen detection is a promising alternative to PCR because it enables quantitative readouts with fast, inexpensive, labour-free sample preparation. However, their potential has yet to be fully realized because these platforms are especially sensitive to the sample matrix effect and poor stability, currently preventing their practical use in contexts outside of research labs. Electrochemical biosensors modified with porous architectures have been shown to improve sensitivity, stability, and reduce the matrix effect. To date, mainly silicon and aluminium-based porous materials have been deployed due to the established pathways for pore generation, including electrochemical and chemical etching. This doctoral research explores the use of block copolymer co-assembly to produce mesoporous inorganic nanoarchitectures for electrochemical biosensors. This methodology allows controlling key features such as pore size and pore architecture by macromolecular design, which help study a wide range of biological molecules. Two fabrication methods for improved control over the pore architecture were investigated, namely, the use of solvent vapour annealing and two-step calcination. The working electrode of an electrochemical sensor was modified with such mesoporous material for single-stranded DNA and glucose detection. The detection platform developed through this work enabled exceptional sensitivity and selectivity for DNA detection with a low-cost device and improved sensitivity for glucose detection. Keywords: mesoporous films, block copolymer, electrochemical biosensor, glucose detection, nucleic acid detection.

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