Patent ID: 8917096

Claim:
A system for determining an isoelectric point of a target molecule, the system comprising: a dielectric layer disposed on a substrate; a functionalized material on the dielectric layer; an electrically conductive solution on the dielectric layer, the substrate, the dielectric layer, and the electrically conductive solution forming a capacitor; a first contact in the electrically conductive solution and a second contact on the substrate; wherein a first plurality of capacitance versus voltage curves of the capacitor are measured via the first contact and the second contact; wherein the first plurality of capacitance versus voltage curves are measured for a plurality of pH values of the electrically conductive solution without the target molecule being present in the electrically conductive solution of the capacitor; wherein a second plurality of capacitance versus voltage curves of the capacitor are measured via the first contact and the second contact when the target molecule is present in the electrically conductive solution, the target molecule being bound to the functionalized material on a top surface of the dielectric layer of the capacitor; wherein a shift in the second plurality of capacitance versus voltage curves from the first plurality of capacitance versus voltage curves is determined at each of the plurality of pH values via test equipment; and wherein the isoelectric point of the target molecule is determined via the test equipment by extrapolating a pH value that corresponds to a shift voltage being zero, when the shift at a plurality of shift voltages is compared to the plurality of pH values.