NAMS 2002 Workshop - ICOM 2008

adsorption/desorption. We then will use the polymer film to act as the support
medium for bacterial sensing. To our knowledge, this is the first application of
conjugated polymers attached to membranes for bacterial sensing. While this
project will focus on developing fouling resistant membranes with in-situ bacterial
sensing, this technology can easily be translated to small membrane coupons.
The polymers being studied for this application are Hydroxypropyl Cellulose and
N-Isopropylacrylamide and have LCSTs in a usable temperature range.
Attachment to the Cellulose Acetate surface has been studied using a Primary
method, which involves building the film from the surface. The latest method we
have been attempting deals with the Secondary method, this synthesis works by
building the film first and then attaching it to the surface. Wetcell Atomic Force
Microscopy allows us the image the surface and do roughness analysis while
under different temperatures in an aqueous environment. This means we can
detect how rough the surface is at the low temperatures, where the film should
be extended; and at high temperatures, where the film should be collapsed. The
method of immunocapture uses antibodies and we attach those antibodies using
a carbodiimide acting as a zero-length linker to connect a hydroxyl group from
the HPC to the carboxyl group on the antibody. So far only work has been done
with HPC in this area. Exposure of the completely modified membrane to
bacteria has yielded successful capture of said bacteria which can be visualized
using fluorescence.