Student project: Miniaturized, dry reference electrodes for Organ-On-Chip applications

Imec is developing the technology to fabricate and characterize sensing devices for various applications including organ-on-chip (OoC) platforms. OoCs promise to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry by offering a high throughput drug testbench, while circumventing the ethical concerns that arise from the extensive use of animal models in medical research. These devices typically host biological tissue, that simulates real organs physiology, while employing biosensors to measure their response to drug stimulation.  One of the challenges their fabrication face, though, is the need for efficient integration of in-plane, biocompatible and microfabricated reference electrodes for accurate and long term biological relevant measurements. In this project, we are going to develop miniaturized, dry reference electrodes that meet the above OoC demands. We are going to experiment both with the electrodes’ geometry but also the fabrication approach and the used material, focusing on the advantages that conducting polymers can offer to this task. Our final goal is to develop miniaturized electrochemical reference electrodes for organ-on-chip applications that exhibit high performance and long-term stability.

What you will do

This project focuses on fabricating miniaturized dry reference electrodes with long-term stability:

• Design and execute experiments.
• Use and optimize electrode (micro)fabrication methods.
• Fabricate sensor prototypes and optimize electrode architecture and material, on them.
• Perform sensor characterization (sensitivity, selectivity, stability, lifetime) and data analysis.
• Report the results in a clear way to a multidisciplinary team.
  
  

What we do for you

You will be working in an ambitious team of researchers, engineers, and innovators active in a broad range of activities centred around biosensing, in a lab located at the High-Tech Campus Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Imec the Netherlands is part of the larger Imec organization which is a world-leading R&D organization in the field of nanotechnology and electronics. We invite you to be part of our ambitious team where your ideas will have an impact on our society and our future lives.

Who you are

• MSc student in Chemistry, Chemical or Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics or equivalent.
• Strong affinity with (or will to learn) electrochemistry characterization techniques.
• Hands-on approach in setting up and performing experiments.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Experience with data analysis (Matlab, Python, etc.).
• Good written and verbal English skills.
• Available for 6 months or longer.