Compact optical characterization platform for detection of bio- molecules in fluidic and aerosol samples

There is an urgent need for fast, sensitive, and specific detection methods to identify nanoparticles, micro-organisms, bio agents, and toxins in water, blood, food, aerosols and other specimens. This generally involves a laboratory which is expensive, time consuming, and requires skilled personnel. Yet many applications actually require a compact, fast and automated detection system for point-of-care detection. It is generally a necessity to detect the analyte of interest “on-the-fly,” that is, as it is moving in order to allow for continuous and real time detection. Optical detection methods offer high sensitivity, but current approaches capture only a “snapshot” of the moving particle which yields limited information. Furthermore, most detection schemes have limited performance due to weak interaction between the excitation light and analyte, as well as the high cost and large size of the typical optical instruments (e.g., commercial spectrometers).