IIT(BHU)'s groundbreaking laser-engraved papertronic device for multifunctional sensing wins Best Innovation Award

VARANASI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, designed a highly automated and sensitive Laser-Directed Electrochemical Paper Analytical Device (LD-ePAD) for multifunctional sensing applications.

The team, led by Prof. Pranjal Chandra, along with PhD students Supratim Mahapatra and Rohini Kumari at the School of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, developed this papertronic device that is a major motivation and has comparable performance to commercially available electrode-based devices.

This new technology developed at IIT(BHU) was recently showcased in the workshop on “Microfabrication and Biosensors: Advances in Diagnostics” at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jammu, during January 18-19, 2025.

The event provided expert insights on creating next-generation diagnostic platforms by providing hands-on experience to research scholars in microfluidic chip fabrication, biosensor integration, and mammalian cell culture and analysis. In this workshop, Supratim Mahapatra, a PhD student under Prof. Pranjal Chandra, presented this technology in front of experts and participants and won the “Best Innovation Award” for this innovation that has tremendous commercial impact. “By creating this affordable platform, we are one step closer to bringing technological innovations to local people for point-of-care diagnosis, hence enhancing their quality of life,” said Prof. Chandra.

Prof. Chandra said that the newly designed analytical device is sustainable, biodegradable, eco-friendly, and relatively cheaper compared to the existing systems.

A ground-breaking study at the Laboratory of Bio-physiosensors and Nanobioengineering, IIT (BHU), showcases the power of an automated platform in detecting harmful free radicals in medical samples, toxic metals in river water samples, diseased biomarkers (alkaline phosphatase), food adulterants, etc., with unmatched sensitivity and repeatability.

This work marks a significant advancement in clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring by offering a versatile and sustainable platform that enables the detection of various analytes with minimal modifications. Such a system is highly miniaturised and can be operated by the general public and can be deployed at public healthcare centres or point-of-care settings where access to advanced diagnostics is limited.

He further said that the earlier technologies place a strong emphasis on the detection of a single type of molecule and lack the potential to detect multifunctional molecules. Additionally, the existing system uses various enzymes to generate analytical signals.

Further, the majority of the reported paper-based electrodes primarily deploy a two-electrode system, i.e., the working and counter electrode. Nevertheless, the lack of a third electrode, i.e., the reference electrode, makes it more difficult to obtain accurate and repeatable results due to potential drift, said Prof. Chandra.

The accuracy of electrochemical diagnostics can be improved by implementing a three-electrode system in paper-based platforms, he added. This will provide greater control over the applied potential and produce more reliable and consistent results.

Prof. Chandra, along with his team, developed this novel, environmentally friendly, disposable, laser-engraved, nanoengineered, three-electrode-based papertronic device whose estimated market price is several folds less compared to those available in the market.

This innovative laser-engraved papertronic device surpasses the documented reports on the detection of a single type of marker, and that too nonenzymatically. We employed direct laser engraving on the paper matrix using computer-aided design software-driven computer numerical control manufacturing instruments, added Supratim and Rohini, the PhD students who worked on this new technology.

This three-electrode engraved on a paper substrate was later nanoengineered and deployed for multifunctional applications by detecting small molecules, macromolecules, and free radicals.

Early detection of trace levels of these model analytes is crucial across various domains, including healthcare, food safety, environmental science, and industrial processes. The LD-ePADs' outstanding repeatability, abundance of catalytic active sites, remarkable tunability, and potential for nano-bioengineering emphasised their tremendous commercial feasibility.

The analytical platform has been thoroughly validated in a variety of real sample matrices and covers the detection range established by regulatory agencies. IIT (BHU) filed the patent for this technology. The research work was also published in a highly reputed academic journal, Chemical Engineering Journal.

This technology developed at IIT(BHU) has also received global recognition in terms of best presentation at the International Symposium on Organic Molecular Electronics at the Advanced ICT Research Institute, Kobe, Japan.

This was the first study to use controlled one-step laser direct engraving to fabricate a three-electrode setup on a paper substrate that can sense three heterogeneous molecules electrochemically.

Currently, the team is working toward translating it into a hand-held multiplexer module, which will be very beneficial for affordable healthcare and molecular diagnostics. We are moving on to the next level and adding many functional electrodes to the laser-engraved paper gadget in order to extend the sensor device's feasibility for simultaneous detection of target analytes.

The Director of IIT(BHU), Prof Amit Patra, congratulated the winning team for bringing laurels to the Institute and working under the flagship programme of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India of Honourable PM Narendra Modi.

Such indigenously and sustainably developed technology at IIT(BHU) in the laboratory of Prof. Pranjal Chandra, based on advanced nano bioengineering, caters to the needs of the hour and has direct societal application, added Prof. Patra.