Based in the Chemistry Department, SensorLab is an electrochemistry, nanoscience and sensor research laboratory founded by Professor Emmanuel Iwuoha in 2002.
The centre’s research focus involves the design, synthesis and analysis of soft organic and hard inorganic electroactive ‘smart’ nanomaterials for application in the construction of electrocatalytic sensors and energy generating systems. Immunosensors, genosensors (DNA sensors and aptamer sensors) and redox enzyme based biosensors are constructed with dendrimeric and polymeric nanomaterials for applications in environmental and biomedical analysis.
Priscilla Baker
The SensorLab team, led by Professor Emmanuel Iwuoha and co-leader Professor Priscilla Baker, are involved in research projects that include therapeutic drug monitoring biosensors for anti-retroviral, anti-tuberculosis and anti-depressant drugs; immunosensors for mycotoxins in food products, biomarkers for cancers, drug resistant tuberculosis and other medical conditions; genosensors and nanobarcodes for DNA profiling; and aptamer sensor chips for endocrine disrupting compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, persistent organic pollutants in water.
The nanomaterials research activities focus on the development of catalytic nanomaterials, nanophase hexagonal alkoxy-polyanilines, poly(propylene imine)-polypyrrole/polythiophene conducting star copolymers, new generation bi-and trimetallic nanoalloys and quantum dots for applications in sensor chip arrays, supercapacitors, photovoltaic cells, stable high performance composite electrodes and electronically-modulated optical devices.
Amongst SensorLab’s major achievements have been the development of therapeutic drug monitoring nanobiosensors for protease inhibitor antiretroviral drugs, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor drugs and antituberculosis drugs; the synthesis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic modeling of dendritic poly (propylene imine) polypyrrole/polythiophene conducting star copolymers for applications in sensors, ultra capacitors and electronically modulated optical devices; the customization of smart electroactive nanophase polyaromatic sulphonic acid-modulated polyanilines for application in the construction of photovoltaic cells and supercapcitors; the development of new generation nano-alloy electrode systems and quantum dots; the synthesis and electrochemical interrogation of electroactive template-free poly (alkoxyanilines) hexagonal nanorod for application in highly efficient organic solar cell devices; the fabrication of ion-transfer amperometric (ITA ) DNA nanobiosensors based on polarisable liquid-liquid interfaces or supramolecular assemblies; and the development of a methodology for the production of nanostructured polymeric nanotubes, nanorods, hydrogels and dendrimeric star polymers.