Development of Electrochemical Cantilever Sensors for DNA Applications

In this work, we develop a generic DNA based sensing platform used for characterizing surface functionalization and detecting DNA hybridization. Silicon nitride cantilever sensors are fabricated with an integrated three-electrode system and integrated in a microfluidic chip. Cantilevers with gold electrodes are functionalized with thiol-modified single stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes to detect target DNA. During functionalization and hybridization, information related to nanomechanical changes on the surface are obtained by optical measurements of changes in cantilever deflection. Simultaneously, the process is monitored electrochemically. The results clearly indicate that the electrochemical cantilever sensor is very sensitive for detecting DNA hybridization at the cantilever surface.