Biomolecular sensing
Electrospun silica nanofiber membranes were used in biomolecular sensing by scientists of Texas A&M University. Typical ELISA protocol requires incubation for 18 to 20 hours for coating on to the microplate and incubation for one hour to perform assay. Using the fabricated electrospun silica nanofiber membranes the minimum detectable concentration was determined as 0.19 ng ml−1 (1.6 pM), which is 32 times lower than that of conventional ELISA. The increased sensitivity, faster reaction time, and affordability of the nanofiber membrane make it well suited for bio-chip use.