Keywords

Biomimicry, Phase Change, Breath Condensate, Point-of-Use Microsystems, Diagnostics, Biomarkers, Virus Detection

Abstract

A variety of biomimetic [Stenocara gracilipes (Namib desert beetle), Dendrocalamus brandissii (Velvet Leaf Bamboo), and Opuntia microdasys (Bunny Ear Cactus)]-based microsystems, were developed to collect exhaled breath for use in point-of-use (POU) settings. The overall platform consists of a 50 x 50 mm 3D printed micro-chamber which is decorated with a PDMS micromolded Breath Condensate Collection Chip (BCCC) emulating the morphology of the biomimetic architectures. The micro-chamber and BCCC are further treated with a nanoscale superhydrophobic coating and infused with oil for enhancement in condensate collection. Different designs and setups were tested for optimum breath collection along with different micromolding methodologies for the BCCC. Breath trials were conducted to determine the optimum biomimetic design, conditions for ease of use and efficient collection resulting in a maximum of ~82µL breath condensate recorded in 30s which can be further analyzed for potential biomarkers with our established wireless, microfluidic, imaging platform. This handheld microsystem exhibits the potential to be adapted to a variety of different point-of-care (POC) and POU assays: agglutination, colorimetric, and bead-based. Furthermore, this diagnostic platform can be utilized to screen for a multitude of viruses/biomarkers present in exhaled breath.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Rajaraman, Swaminathan

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Graduate Studies

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Rights

In copyright

Release Date

November 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

Download

Share

COinS