Perdue University

Hydrogel used to create

precise new biochemical
sensor
By Ben Coxworth
February 10, 2011

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Scientists have used gelatinous hydrogel to create an inexpensive new type

of biochemical sensor that is highly sensitive, sturdy, long-lasting, and has few
moving parts. The gel expands or contracts according to the acidity of its environment, a

quality that allows the sensor to measure changes in pH down to one one-thousandth
on the pH scale. This amount of accuracy, along with its robustness, could make it ideal
for chemical and biological applications such as environmental monitoring in waterways
and glucose monitoring in blood.
Developed at Indianas Purdue University, the hydrogel within the device is formed into
a series of raised stripes known as a diffraction grating, separated by lower-lying
spaces. Both the stripes and the spaces are covered in separate coatings of gold. As
the gel expands and contracts according to acidity in its environment, the pattern of
stripes and spaces changes. When a laser is shone on the gold/hydrogel, changes in
that pattern cause the reflection of the laser light to be diffracted differently. The sensor
measures changes in the diffraction, and from that deduces pH levels.
Many sensors being developed today are brilliantly designed but are too expensive to
produce, require highly skilled operators and are not robust enough to be practical, said
Cagri Savran, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue. As with
any novel platform, more development is needed, but the detection principle behind this
technology is so simple that it wouldn't be difficult to commercialize.
Savran also stated that the sensors could be made even more sensitive, and that they
could be designed to measure things other than pH by using other hydrogels that
respond to different types of stimuli.