Lateral porous silicon membranes for all-in-one on-chip sample preparation and biosensing – LabPSi

The LabPsi project aims at demonstrating that lateral porous silicon membranes integrated into planar microchannels (as opposed to classical porous silicon membranes integrated in 3D fluidics) constitute a single nanotechnological brick to carry out all steps required for the detection of biomolecules in crude samples on-chip: sample preparation (sample filtration and sample enrichment via ion concentration polarization) and biosensing (via interference spectroscopy). This approach provides a promising solution for future diagnostic devices, where monolithic processes could replace current hybrid fabrication methods. Outcomes of this project in the field of nanostructured materials for health care are expected at various levels: increase in fabrication reliability, solutions for material integration and adequate functionalization strategies. As a proof-of-concept, we plan to fabricate a lab-on-a-chip for the detection of Troponin I in blood for myocardial infarction diagnosis.