This project involves the design, building, and optimization of a burner for the production of metal oxide nanomaterials that will be used for biomedical sensing. Recent research suggests that certain diseases and health conditions lead to the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human breath. Breath analysis to sense the presence of these biomarkers needs to be sensitive and selective, which can lead to time consuming, complex, and expensive procedures. The nature of the proposed flame synthesis method as well as the unique geometry of the output nanomaterials could lead to their use as a cheap, simple, scalable, and noninvasive sensor for biomarkers in human breath that indicate various adverse health conditions, like immune responses to viruses or malfunctioning organs.

I am very excited about this SuperUROP opportunity because it will provide me with a lot of hands-on experience in the thermal sciences, my personal area of interest, that I usually do not have access to in my regular academic courses. Through the SuperUROP, I look forward to learning more about the research process, furthering my knowledge in the field, and contributing to such an interesting and important research project.