Optically Encoded Nanoparticles

Technology Description

Researchers at the UC San Diego have invented an optical encoding method for encoding micron-sized nanoporous semiconductor, conductor, or dielectric particles to be used in biological and/or chemical screening, sensing,or identification application. Particles are optically encoded by changing process conditions during porosification. The particles can thereby be chemically modified for specific biological, biomedical, electronic, or environmental applications. The method, employing reflection spectroscopy, does not have the disadvantage of photobleaching inherent with fluorophores. Additionally, fluorescent analytes do not interfere with the particle signal. Moreover, the method is biocompatable, and can be applied to the screening of large numbers of analytes in vivo.

Intellectual Property Info

• View inventor's lab link at http://chem-faculty.ucsd.edu/sailor/research.
• See Professor Michael Sailor's Smart Dust presentation from 2005.

Patent Status