Biosensor Experiments in Undergraduate Laboratories

Abstract

This talk will describe a junior/senior level undergraduate laboratory for analytical or physical chemistry that can be used to demonstrate the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) to produce biosensors. The laboratory has the students form SAMs on the surface of the electrode and then examine how they pack onto a surface. The laboratory experiment will also introduce students to electrochemical techniques, instrumentation and surface analysis techniques. This experiment uses both chronocoulometry to determine the surface area of an electrode as well as using reductive desorption to determine the surface coverage and packing of the SAM. Use of these SAM modified electrodes as biosenors is also discussed.