Walker, Oliver;
(2021)
A rapid and low-cost novel biosensor for the detection of early-stage chronic kidney disease.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
There is an unmet medical need for the effective detection of early-stage kidney disease as many current techniques lack the accuracy to detect it early on. Therefore, most patients are diagnosed at a later phase when irreversible kidney damage has already been done. Blood tests typically detect serum creatinine however this can be unreliable and require laboratory and trained personnel. Within this thesis a metal oxide gas sensor has been developed to detect the volatile organic compound (VOC) trimethylamine (TMA), known to be elevated in early disease stages, via patients expired breath. Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) was chosen for its simplicity and ability to produce thin reproducible films without vacuum. Consequently molybdenum oxide (MoO3) thin films were successfully deposited by AACVD and used for the sensing of TMA. Films were further modified with cerium and gold to increase the sensitivity and performance of the sensors, and a variety of characterisation techniques were used such as scanning electron microscopy with coupled energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to explore the crystallinity and properties of the optimised sensor films. The sensor was then evaluated successfully using simulated kidney disease patient breath in order to test its feasibility in practice. Finally, initial studies into the use of silicon carbide-tungsten core fibres were investigated as a potential for a next generation self-heating integrated substrate for molybdenum oxide sensors and the detection of TMA gas.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | A rapid and low-cost novel biosensor for the detection of early-stage chronic kidney disease |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10141349 |
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