U-Bent Optical Fiber Sensors for Detection of Bacteria
By Prof. Soumyo Mukherji
Abstract:
Optical fiber-based sensors are quite ubiquitous in the physical and chemical sensing domain. However, most such sensors depend on expensive techniques for modification of the fibers to functionalize them as sensors. This talk will discuss a simple modification technique that consists of heating a fiber to bend it into a U shape and then functionalizing it by simple chemical modifications that can be performed in any basic laboratory. The sensitivity of these sensors can be further increased by decorating them with nanoparticles and nanocomposites. The talk will also discuss the development of the lightweight (500g) hand-held instrument that may be used with these types of sensors.
Biography:
Dr. Soumyo Mukherji did his B.Tech. in Instrumentation Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur), MS in Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University (Fort Collins, USA), and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, USA). After his PhD he joined IIT Bombay in 1997, where he is now an Institute Chair Professor in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering. He was the Head of the Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Sciences at IIT Bombay from 2010-2013 and the Dean of Student Affairs of IIT Bombay from 2015-2019. His research interests are in sensors and instruments for widescale deployment, environmental, security applications, and health related applications. Dr. Mukherji has been associated with research in Biosensors and Bioinstrumentation and delivered numerous invited talks in conferences, seminars, symposia, and workshops in that area. His articles have been published in a large number of international journals and he has been on the editorial and technical committees of various journals and conferences. He has guided/is guiding more than 30 doctoral students and 60 Masters students.
