The project targets the field of intensive care unit (ICU) beds, specifically LCSPECIR, and will design, develop, and validate an innovative on-chip photonic sensing platform for spectroscopic monitoring of blood pattern changes. Thin-film waveguides made of silicon-on-sapphire (SOS), GaAs/AlGaAs, and diamond will be designed to enhance the interaction between infrared radiation and sample, boosting the sensitivity of the analysis and reducing the needed blood sample volume, so as to make in-line monitoring possible. The wave guides will then be implemented in an infrared lab-on-a-chip module whose surface will be functionalized by graphene, carbon nanodots, and inorganic semiconductors to produce a self-cleaning behavior and maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio. This will be achieved through a density functional theory (DFT) modelling of biomarkers adsorption and experimental studies on the interaction between adsorbate molecules and surfaces. Finally, LC-SPECIR blood sensors will be validated with tests on synthetic blood containing a number of biomarkers.
