Dynamic modulation of detection window in conducting polymer based biosensors.

Here we demonstrate a novel application that employs the ion exchange properties of conducting polymers (CP) to modulate the detection window of a CP based biosensor under electrical stimuli. The detection window can be modulated by electrochemically controlling the degree of swelling of the CP associated with ion transport in and out of the polymer. We show that the modulation in the detection window of a caffeine imprinted polypyrrole biosensor, and by extension other CP based biosensors, can be achieved with this mechanism. Such dynamic modulation in the detection window has great potential for the development of smart biosensors, where the sensitivity of the sensor can be dynamically optimized for a specific test solution.

Two-photon absorption and self-phase modulation in InGaAsP/InP multi-quantum-well waveguides

We report the first measurement of two-photon absorption (TPA) and self-phase modulation in an InGaAsP/InP multi-quantum-well waveguide. The TPA coefficient, β2, was found to be 60±10 cm/GW at 1.55 μm. Despite operating at 200 nm from the band edge, self-phase modulation as high as 8±2 rad was observed for 30-ps optical pulses at 3.8-W peak input power. A theoretical calculation indicates that this enhanced phase modulation is primarily due to bandfilling in the quantum wells and the free-carrier plasma effect.