COVID-19 Detection in Saliva Using Printed Graphene Electrochemical Sensors

Northwestern University will be responsible for the development of graphene inks and the printing of graphene interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) using aerosol jet printing and screen printing. In particular, Northwestern University will lead the subtasks listed below: Task 1: Rapid Prototyping of Aerosol Jet Printed Graphene Electrochemical Sensors: This task will identify optimal printable graphene inks and IDE geometries for highly sensitive electrochemical detection of SARS-CoV-2 using aerosol jet printing. The first subtask will develop a printable graphene ink that is shelf-stable and forms highly conductive patterns following deposition and curing. The second subtask will explore rapid prototyping of graphene IDE geometries such as electrode finger width and spacing to achieve large electrochemical sensing areas. The resulting graphene IDEs will be sent to Iowa State University, where the third subtask will pursue functionalization of the biosensors with S1 monoclonal antibodies and validation of the sensors in an artificial saliva testing environment. Task 2: High-Throughput Screen Printed Graphene Electrochemical Sensors: This task will explore high-throughput manufacturing of the optimized graphene electrochemical sensors using screen printing. The first subtask will develop a scalable graphene ink formulation for large-scale screen printing using cellulosic polymer additives. The second subtask will demonstrate high-throughput and high-resolution screen printing to substantially increase the number of graphene IDEs available for testing. The resulting graphene IDEs will be sent to Iowa State University, where the third subtask will perform sensor validation studies in human saliva using a portable electrochemical potentiostat to demonstrate the potential of this technology for point-of-service application.