Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Microbial Detection in Surface Waters: Creating a Remote-Controlled Mobile Microbial Biosensor

Gregory, Jarod

Abstract Details

2015, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Environmental Engineering.
Obtaining and transmitting real-time microbial detection data in a dynamic surface water environment requires a qualitative advancement in the field of bio-sensing. A dynamic problem requires a dynamic answer, and hydrogels have proven to be one of the more dynamic materials in research due to a number of characteristics. In this work, we harnessed a hydrogels capability to undergo volume phase transitions to prove that hydrogels are capable of mobility in free-floating environments. In this experiment, we remotely induced volume phase transitions in a hydrogel in a manner that mimicked peristaltic motion. Additionally, we functionalized the surface of a hydrogel to capture microbe cells suspended in solution. This functionalization was achieved by exploring a hydrogel’s ability to adsorb cationic solutes out of solution and using those molecules as a foundation for conjugation chemistry. Finally, we incorporated electron-producing bacteria into a hydrogel to synthesize a hydrogel/bacteria hybrid biomaterial by electro-polymerizing a hydrogel over an existing bacterial biofilm on a carbon electrode. This series of proof-of-principle experiments has added valuable contributions to the decades-long research field of hydrogels while setting a foundation for a mobile autonomous hydrogel-based biosensor – a necessity for fully addressing water quality and microbial contamination concerns moving forward.
Lilit Yeghiazarian, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Margaret Kupferle, Ph.D. P.E. (Committee Member)
Vasille Nistor, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
George Sorial, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
48 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gregory, J. (2015). Microbial Detection in Surface Waters: Creating a Remote-Controlled Mobile Microbial Biosensor [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439301079

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gregory, Jarod. Microbial Detection in Surface Waters: Creating a Remote-Controlled Mobile Microbial Biosensor. 2015. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439301079.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gregory, Jarod. "Microbial Detection in Surface Waters: Creating a Remote-Controlled Mobile Microbial Biosensor." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439301079

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)