MIKA

‘MIKA’ focusses on the development of an innovative detection process for micro pollutants in water. The basis for the efficient detection of various pollutant classes is realized through the combination of a noble metal nanoparticle array with a molecular-selective method. The nanoparticles are arranged as spots in an array and functionalized with aptameres. These DNA-based receptors bind selected guiding indicators for the contamination of waster water probes: carbamazepine, diclofenac, and benzotriazole.

The binding to the aptamere receptors takes places through molecular affinity and provides first clues regarding pollutant class and molecular characteristics. The binding is detected in the visible spectral range through the use of an innovative detector unit with spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy.

The complex spectral-imaging data are assessed using AI to facilitate a swift statement about the receptor binding and thus about the molecular class. This measuring method is label-free and prospectively possible on-site. Furthermore, the specificity is heightened through the use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), based on the detection of molecular fingerprint information. The noble metal nano particles serve as enhancers of the molecular-specific Raman signal in this context. The ‘MIKA’ project brings together regional partners to make the on-site detection of micro pollutants possible.