Current research

Our research activities are currently in the facilities available in the Southern Labs, the SCDT (www.iitk.ac.in/scdt), and the Western Labs. And we will be utilizing the facilities to be housed in the building for the National Centre for Flexible Electronics (www.iitk.ac.in/flexe).

Here are some of our current activities.

i) Microfluidic immunosensors for detection of disease biomarkers in body fluids

There is a need for developing low-cost devices for disease diagnostics for point-of-care (POC) testing so as to make healthcare affordable and accessible. In several cases, the presence and extent of a disease can be ascertained by the presence or the levels of biomarkers in the body fluids. Utilization of microfluidics based platforms has the potential of rapid and low-cost detection techniques with point-of-care applications, which could be very relevant to the Indian context. There is an on-going work on a multi-analyte sensor array to detect some of the biomarkers in the body fluids. Test markers include PSA and CRP. Process intensification enabled in the microchannels has shown potential for high capture efficiencies. Field-effect based detection (utilizing thin film transistors) is being utilized for the detection and processing of the signals. Designs are being investigated to enable detection with small sample volumes.

ii) Flexible thermal sensors

 Low-cost flexible temperature sensors have several uses including accurate measurement of the skin temperature where form fit is crucial and the flexibility providing a good form fit can be expected to provide a better performance. Apart from utilization in applications as wearable electronics, other uses could be in packaging/storage of temperature sensitive materials like medicines, reagents, blood etc., where the low cost would incur a marginal incremental cost to the packaging and enable commercial adoption. In this work, nanoscale films of conjugated polymers on flexible substrates have been developed which have shown good temperature sensitivities. The ballistic-diffusive thermal transport, and the charge transport are being investigated. The printing of such inks on flexible substrates are being studied with a focus on the substrate-ink interactions.

iii) Electrochemical sensors for detection of heavy metals in water

This activity attempts to develop portable low-cost sensors for detection of heavy metals in water. Functionalized electrochemically polymerized films are utilized and the accompanying transport and reactions are investigated.

iv) Room temperature flexible gas sensors

The room temperature gas sensing behavior of nanostructured organic semiconductors are being investigated. The role of the structures in affecting the recognition reactions and accompanying charge transport are being studied.

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