Yuebing Zheng
University of Texas at Austin
The objective of this proposal is to design and demonstrate an ultracompact opto-electro-fluidic system that can efficiently preconcentrate and separate low-abundance chiral molecules for in situ life detection. To achieve the objective, I plan to accomplish three specific research aims: (1) demonstrate an electro-fluidic preconcentrator for low-abundance molecules, (2) demonstrate an opto-fluidic separator for enantioselective separation of chiral molecules, and (3) integrate the preconcentrator and separator into a single ultracompact system and test its performances. With its superior performances, the proposed system will become an integral component for the future end-to-end in situ instrument for NASA space science missions. It will also benefit drug screening, drug purification and point-of-care biomedical applications in human space exploration.