How to use the Tool

BioSensorLab can be used to study the time dynamics of biosensors. In this tool, we solve the simultaneous system of D-C equations. Simulations are based on the analytical results reported in “P. R. Nair and M. A. Alam, APL, 88, 233120, (2006)”. The basic simulation steps are:

1. First, choose the type of sensor (You need to choose at least one).

2. Input the parameters for performance limits (essentially the parameters required for the diffusion equation (1a) like the diffusion coefficient, device dimensions, minimum detectable molecule density, range of analyte concentration, etc.). This provides you the trade-off between settling time vs. the concentration of biomolecules you wish to detect in the diffusion-dominated regime.

3. The next section, “Transient Response” computes the time dynamics at a particular analyte concentration for finite k_F and k_R (see eq. (1b) of D-C equations). The parameters for eq. (1a) are used from the previous step. Input the parameters for the reaction equation (1b) and the range of time over which you wish to compute the time dynamics of molecule capture.

4. You can perform numerical simulations also. We solve the D-C equations numerically for the set of parameters you provided in the previous steps. Specify the dimension of the simulation domain and the boundary conditions. Depending on the options you have selected, outputs are generated.