Web Release Date: July 13,
Ultrasonic Flexural-Plate-Wave Sensor for Detecting the Concentration of Settling E. coli W3110 Cells
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Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, Joint Bioengineering Graduate Program, Univesity of California, San Francisco and Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
Received for review September 2, 1998. Accepted April 29, 1999.
Abstract:
The flexural-plate-wave (FPW) sensor, a type of ultrasonic sensor, can detect changes in E. coli W3110 concentration in solution as the cells settle onto the sensor under the influence of gravity. A model of the sensor's response to cell settling has been developed and is in good agreement with the experimental data. The FPW technique improves on conventional methods for determining cell concentrations; this technique allows for on-line data collection, is nondestructive, and requires only small sample volumes. The FPW sensor has applications as a device to measure cell concentrations and growth rates in industrial fermentors, biofilms, and wastewater treatment facilities.
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