Silicate glasses form a hydrated gel layer when exposed to aqueous environments. The gel layer is a result of the structural rearrangement of the glass surface. The structural rearrangement results in a porous layer rich in Si-OH and adsorbed water molecules. However, the right conditions must exist for the gel layer to form. We have developed a new technique to form the gel layer using a combination of UV radiation and aqueous solution exposure. Exploitation of this technique can provide an entirely new class of biomaterials with a wide range of potential biotechnology and bioengineering applications. One such bioapplication is the fabrication of high density microarray surfaces. Microarray technology is currently being used for DNA and protein analysis. We are expanding the use of microarray surfaces to develop a miniature ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) system for detection of multiple water microbial contaminants. Soda lime silicate and alkaline earth aluminoborosilicate glass substrates were treated using a photo-hydrolytic process in the presence of an aqueous silanated solution. The combination of the UV radiation, aqueous submersion and organosilane resulted in a functionalized surface that demonstrates high binding efficiency with protein antibodies for water contaminant capture. The binding efficiency was determined using the florescence intensity of tagged antibodies. The alkaline earth aluminoborosilicate substrate treated using an aminopropyltrimethoxy silane modifier demonstrated the highest binding efficiency compared to 10 additional surface treatments and five commercially available systems.
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