A new technology of microthermal sensing for application in microcalorimetry
ANTS aims to prove the viability of a novel thermal microsensor, with highly improved thermal, temporal and spatial resolution, to be the basis of a breakthrough micro/nano-calorimeter. The resulting device shall quantify binding rates and enthalpy/entropy changes in interactions of biological interest in a much more accurate and straightforward manner than available techniques. Consequently, ANTS-microcalorimeter will facilitate enormously drug discovery and development of biomedical products and technologies. We propose to exploit the large Nernst effect in ferromagnetic conductors for electrical sensing of temperature gradients with exceptional sensitivity. The active sensing elements are composed of a single material, thus offering important advantages for miniaturization over conventional micro-calorimetry, based on diverse Peltier modules, whereas easy to fabricate by standard, scalable deposition and photolithographic methods. Standard microcalorimeter configuration can also be maintained in the novel device, which is convenient to ensure compatibility and foster adoption by users and manufacturers.