There are needs for sensors that are inexpensive, reliable, and unobtrusive. Although sensor development might appear simple, there are many challenges associated with developing reliable devices. For example, consider a biosensor (a sensor with a recognition element based on a biological component), one must find an appropriate biorecognition element that selectively recognizes the target analyte, one must immobilize the biorecognition element such that it retains its native activity/affinity and selectivity, and one must implement a suitable detection/transduction method. In an ideal scenario, the biorecognition element must also remain stable over time, the target analyte must be able to access the biorecognition element, and the analyte-biorecognition element association/interaction should be reversible or at least easily dissociated/reset following each measurement.

A group of us at UB has been exploring the potential of novel sol-gel-derived xerogels, low-powered light sources, and new detector array schemes to construct chemically responsive sensors and sensor arrays for simultaneous multi-analyte detection. The speaker will summarize his research group's efforts on the development of novel xerogel-based chemical sensors that do not utilize biomolecules as recognition elements.