Microfluidic Biochip Integrated with Composite Gel Composed of Silver Nanostructure @ Polydopamine–co–Chitosan for Rapid Detection of Airborne Bacteria

TL;DR

A new biochip with a special gel detects airborne bacteria quickly and accurately, improving health safety.

Contribution

A multifunctional biochip with a composite gel enables efficient capture and SERS-based detection of airborne bacteria.

Findings

The biochip increased S. aureus capture efficiency from 11.4% to 86.3% using a micropillar array.

Functionalization with AgNS@PDA–co–CS gel achieved >99.9% capture efficiency.

The platform identified S. aureus at 105 CFU m−3 and distinguished three bacterial species via SERS and PCA.

Abstract

Rapid detection and identification of airborne bacteria are critical for safeguarding human health, yet current technologies remain inadequate. To address this gap, we developed a multifunctional biochip that synergistically integrated a heptagonal micropillar array with a silver nanostructure–polydopamine–co–chitosan (AgNS@PDA–co–CS) composite gel to achieve highly efficient sampling, capture, enrichment, and in situ SERS detection of airborne bacteria. The integrated micropillar array increased the capture efficiency of S. aureus in aerosols from 11.4% (with a flat chip) to 86.3%, owing to its high specific surface area and its ability to generate chaotic vortices that promote bacterial impaction. Subsequent functionalization with the AgNS@PDA–co–CS gel improved the capture efficiency further to >99.9%, due to the synergistic effect of the gel’s adhesive properties and the abundant capture sites provided by the nanostructure, which collectively ensure robust bacterial retention. The incorporated AgNS also served as SERS-active sites, enabling direct identification of captured S. aureus at concentrations as low as 105 CFU m−3 after 20 min of sampling. Furthermore, the platform successfully distinguished among three common bacterial species—S. aureus, E. coli, and Bacillus cereus—based on their SERS spectral profiles combined with principal component analysis (PCA). This work presents a synergistic strategy for simultaneous bacterial sampling, capture, enrichment, and detection, offering a promising platform for rapid airborne pathogen monitoring.

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