Mechanism of operation and design considerations for surface acoustic wave device vapour sensors

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices offer many attractive features for application as vapour phase chemical microsensors. This paper describes the characteristics of SAW devices and techniques by which they can be employed as vapour sensors. The perturbation of SAW velocity by polymeric coating films is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Highest sensitivity can be achieved when the device is used as the resonating element in a delay line oscillator circuit. A simple equation has been developed from theoretical considerations which offers reasonably accurate quantitative predictions of SAW device frequency shifts when subjected to a given mass loading. In this mode the SAW device behaves very like conventional bulk-wave quartz crystal microbalances except that the sensitivity can be several orders of magnitude higher and the device size can be several orders of magnitude smaller. Detection of mass changes of a few femtograms by a SAW device having a surface area of 10⁻⁴ cm² is theoretically possible.     

Characteristics of Ga and Ag-doped ZnO-based nanowires for an ethanol gas sensor prepared by hot-walled pulsed laser deposition

Pure ZnO and Ga (3 % w/w) and Ag (3 % w/w)-doped ZnO nanowires (NWs) have been grown by use of the hot-walled pulse laser deposition technique. The doping characteristics of Ga and Ag in ZnO NWs were analyzed by use of photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the results were compared with those for pure ZnO NWs. We also fabricated gas sensors by use of pure ZnO and Ga and Ag-doped ZnO NWs. Among the NW sensors, the Ag-doped NW sensor was most sensitive. We synthesized the NWs on sapphire substrates under different conditions, for example temperature, time, gas flow, and distance between target and substrate. The diameter and length of NWs were <100 nm and several microns, respectively. To analyze the effect of Ag doping on ZnO NWs, we investigated the near band edge emission by use of low-temperature PL and XPS. Significant changes in resistance and sensitivity were observed. When the sensors were used at 300 °C for detection of 1 ppm ethanol vapor, the sensitivity of the pure ZnO and the Ga and Ag-doped ZnO NW gas sensors was 97, 48, and 203 %, respectively.     

Implantable application of polymer-based biosensors

Implantable sensors offer a great opportunity to extract physiological information from inside the body by real-time monitoring. With the demand for personal healthcare and point-of-care treatment, a long-term stable sensor of excellent mechanical and biological compatibility with human organs is urgently required. In contrast to rigid electronic devices using silicon or metallic materials, soft sensors are realized by flexible polymers in a simple way, endowing the implantable sensor with a tissue-mimetic structure. In this article, we systematically review the development of implantable electronic sensors based on polymer materials. The unique properties of polymers are introduced, followed by their applications in implantable device fabrication. Strategies to integrate polymers with implantable sensors, encompassing device interface, geometry, and integration, are also summarized. Furthermore, biosensing applications of polymer-based implantable devices are described, ranging from physical stimulus monitoring to biochemical analysis in vivo. Finally, we envision how advances in polymer materials may facilitate the development of intelligent sensors with broader applications in vivo.     

Recent Advances in Nanomaterial Probes for Optical Biothiol Sensing: A Review

The determination of biological aminothiols (mainly cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione) is an important tool in the clinical diagnosis of many disorders and diseases. Therefore, the development of new chemical sensors and probes has attracted considerable attention. Nanomaterials have a profound role in this endeavor since they offer some unique advantages such as lower cost, faster analysis times, and ease of operation compared to classic instrumental techniques such as liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. In this review, we provide a focused outline on the most recent evolvements in optical biothiol sensing using nanomaterials. The most important reaction mechanisms and detection strategies are summarized and compared in terms of their sensitivity and selectivity against various biothiol species. Critical fields for future research and challenges are discussed and elucidated.     

Facile Fabrication of Multi‐targeted and Stable Biochemical SERS Sensors

The direct transfer of single‐crystalline Au nanowires (NWs) onto Au substrates was achieved by a simple attachment and detachment process. In the presence of a lubricant, Au NWs grown vertically on a sapphire substrate were efficiently moved to an Au substrate through van der Waals interactions. We demonstrate that the transferred Au NWs on the Au substrate can act as sensitive, reproducible, and long‐term‐stable surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors by detecting human α‐thrombin as well as Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions. These three biochemically and/or environmentally important analytes were successfully detected with high sensitivity and selectivity by Au NW‐SERS sensors bound by a thrombin‐binding aptamer. Furthermore, the as‐prepared sensors remained in working order after being stored under ambient conditions at room temperature for 80 days. Because Au NWs can be routinely transferred onto Au substrates and because the resultant Au NW‐SERS sensors are highly stable and provide with high sensitivity and reproducibility of detection, these sensors hold potential for practical use in biochemical sensing.     

Recent progress in the design of G-quadruplex–based electrochemical aptasensors

Aptamer-based electrochemical sensors are now developed for the detection of a wide variety of analytes including ions, low-molecular-weight molecules, proteins, and living cells. An aptamer-based sensor is an analytical device whose bio-sensing element (i.e. the aptamer) is immobilized on a transducer surface. Aptasensors have attracted great attention because of their high selectivity, sensitivity, and stability; they could be miniaturized and are of low production cost and offer extraordinary flexibility in the design of their assemblies. This review will emphasize recent developments of aptasensors using aptamers that are able to adopt the particular G-quadruplex (G4) conformations, which are secondary DNA structures formed from guanine-rich sequences. Indeed, G4 exhibits notable recognition properties inherent to their particular structuration.     

Design of fluorescent materials for chemical sensing

There is an enormous demand for chemical sensors for many areas and disciplines. High sensitivity and ease of operation are two main issues for sensor development. Fluorescence techniques can easily fulfill these requirements and therefore fluorescent-based sensors appear as one of the most promising candidates for chemical sensing. However, the development of sensors is not trivial; material science, molecular recognition and device implementation are some of the aspects that play a role in the design of sensors. The development of fluorescent sensing materials is increasingly captivating the attention of the scientists because its implementation as a truly sensory system is straightforward. This critical review shows the use of polymers, sol-gels, mesoporous materials, surfactant aggregates, quantum dots, and glass or gold surfaces, combined with different chemical approaches for the development of fluorescent sensing materials. Representative examples have been selected and they are commented here.     

Nanomaterials based non-enzymatic electrochemical and optical sensors for the detection of carbendazim: A review

Carbendazim sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity have become imperative for the welfare of the food industry, agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry. The design and development of sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity require deeper insights into the chemistry of nanomaterials. Driven by these needs, we intend to offer a concise discussion of diverse materials and various analytical techniques employed for carbendazim detection. This review focuses on interpreting the performance of well-recognized techniques integrated with keenly engineered nanomaterials, critical discussions on the drawbacks of the available sensors, and subsequent advances in nano-tailored materials. This review also provides constructive ideas for the requirement of maiden electrochemical and optical sensors, as well as existing challenges and future prospects.     

Analytical characteristics and sensitivity mechanisms of electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor system-based chemical sensors—a critical review

Recent trends in research and development of electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) field-effect chemical sensors (ion-selective field-effect transistors, light-addressable potentiometric sensors, capacitive EIS-sensors) with inorganic gate insulators (oxide, nitride and chalcogenide films) are reviewed. Physical properties of EIS systems and basic mechanisms of their chemical sensitivity are examined. Analytical characteristics and sensing mechanisms of EIS pH sensors with oxide and nitride films, as well as metal ions sensors with chalcogenide films, are critically discussed. Prospects of future research on EIS field-effect biosensors are briefly outlined.     

Development of a Biomimetic MEMS based Capacitive Tactile Sensor

This paper presents the development of a low-cost MEMS based biomimetic tactile device intended to be incorporated as the core element in a biomimetic fingerpad. The developed silicon based sensing devices consist of an array of capacitive sensors with optimized design to measure force ranges encountered during tactile exploration of surfaces with different textures. As with the biological finger, the sensor array contains sensors of different sensitivity and position/orientation, guaranteeing a high informative content of data obtained from surface-finger interaction. This paper presents the design of the device, fabrication processes used and experimental results of sensor performance.     

Investigation of QCM Sensors with Azobenzene Functionalized Coatings for the Detection of Nitroaromatics

Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) based sensors have been used extensively to detect trace amounts of organic chemical vapors. These devices typically incorporate a polymer coating as an active layer that can bind the analytes of interest. Analyte adsorption causes a shift in the resonant frequency of the device proportional to the amount of adsorbed material. Currently some of the polymer coatings used in these sensors utilize hydrogen bonding to adsorb analytes. Dipole-dipole type interactions can also be utilized to promote interaction of the analytes with the polymer coating. Polymer coating containing segments that have a permanent molecular dipole can interact with explosive taggants. In this study, novel polypropylene glycol based polymers that incorporate both hydrogen bonding moieties and segments having large permanent dipole moment (p-nitroazobenzene functional groups) were synthesized and tested. The precursor polymer was prepared by the polymerization of the diglycidyl ether end functionalized polypropylene glycol macromer and aniline. The precursor polymers were post functionalized by an azo-coupling reaction. The sensor response to saturated vapors of o-nitrotoluene, nitrobenzene and 2,4 dinitrotoluene (DNT) saturated vapors was evaluated. Incorporation of p-nitroazobenzene moieties in the polymer increased the sensitivity of detection of the analytes. These studies offer new possibilities for using combination of interactions to improve the sensitivity of the QCM based sensors in the detection of nitroaromatic materials.     

Microdroplets in Microfluidics: An Evolving Platform for Discoveries in Chemistry and Biology

Microdroplets in microfluidics offer a great number of opportunities in chemical and biological research. They provide a compartment in which species or reactions can be isolated, they are monodisperse and therefore suitable for quantitative studies, they offer the possibility to work with extremely small volumes, single cells, or single molecules, and are suitable for high‐throughput experiments. The aim of this Review is to show the importance of these features in enabling new experiments in biology and chemistry. The recent advances in device fabrication are highlighted as are the remaining technological challenges. Examples are presented to show how compartmentalization, monodispersity, single‐molecule sensitivity, and high throughput have been exploited in experiments that would have been extremely difficult outside the microfluidics platform.     

Recent progress on MOF-based optical sensors for VOC sensing

The raising apprehension of volatile organic compound (VOC) exposures urges the exploration of advanced monitoring platforms. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provide many attractive features including tailorable porosity, high surface areas, good chemical/thermal stability, and various host–guest interactions, making them appealing candidates for VOC capture and sensing. To comprehensively exploit the potential of MOFs as sensing materials, great efforts have been dedicated to the shaping and patterning of MOFs for next-level device integration. Among different types of sensors (chemiresistive sensors, gravimetric sensors, optical sensors, etc.), MOFs coupled with optical sensors feature distinctive strength. This review summarized the latest advancements in MOF-based optical sensors with a particular focus on VOC sensing. The subject is discussed by different mechanisms: colorimetry, luminescence, and sensors based on optical index modulations. Critical analysis for each system highlighting practical aspects was also deliberated.

MOF-based optical sensors can achieve volatile organic compound sensing via different mechanisms: colorimetric sensing, luminescent sensing and optical-index modulation sensing.     

The chemistry of constrained crown ring systems and fluorescence sensor applications

Using anthraquinone as a useful synthetic scaffold and the ability of anthraquinone to form stable intermediate reduction products (i.e. anthrones and anthranols), we have synthesized a wide variety of constrained crown ring systems where the receptor includes several types and patterns of Lewis bases that can tune receptor selectivity for different metal cations. Constrained crown ring systems are defined as macrocycles that contain an intraannular heteroatom, in addition to the normal peripheral Lewis bases that compose the outer ring of the macrocycle. These fluorescence sensors predominantly utilizes the internal charge transfer mechanism to promote fluorescence, but has also led to the development of new photophysical mechanisms, i.e. metal-mediated tautomerization, to selectively detect Zn(II) ion in solution. We are currently pursuing a number of synthetic avenues to incorporate new functional groups and lumophores such that a myiad of different photophysical mechanisms under optimal conditions can be employed to improve solubility, sensitivity and take advantage of the cross pollination of electrochemistry and fluorescence spectroscopy with these sensors which incorporate closely integrated electrochemical, fluorescence and receptor subunits.     

Electrical properties of elastomer-based composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes—A review

Even though carbon nanotubes offer an excellent solution for the design of strain sensors, their widespread commercial utilization has been hampered by the unavailability of design rules, inconsistencies in their macro-scale properties, and lack of understanding of the effects of various parameters on their characteristics. Nevertheless, many researches have been carried out to characterize elastomeric nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes in order to optimize their properties such as electrical conductivity and strain sensitivity range. This article reviews the effect of different parameters on the electrical properties of such nanocomposites, followed by the analysis of performances of elastomer strain sensors.     

Mechano-transduction of DNA hybridization and dopamine oxidation through electrodeposited chitosan network

While microcantilevers offer exciting opportunities for mechano-detection, they often suffer from limitations in either sensitivity or selectivity. To address these limitations, we electrodeposited a chitosan film onto a cantilever surface and mechano-transduced detection events through the chitosan network. Our first demonstration was the detection of nucleic acid hybridization. In this instance, we electrodeposited the chitosan film onto the cantilever, biofunctionalized the film with oligonucleotide probe, and detected target DNA hybridization by cantilever bending in solution (static mode) or resonant frequency shifts in air (dynamic mode). In both detection modes, we observed a two-order of magnitude increase in sensitivity compared to values reported in literature for DNA immobilized on self-assembled monolayers. In our second demonstration, we coupled electrochemical and mechanical modes to selectively detect the neurotransmitter dopamine. A chitosan-coated cantilever was biased to electrochemically oxidize dopamine solution. Dopamine's oxidation products react with the chitosan film and create a tensile stress of approximately 1.7 MPa, causing substantial cantilever bending. A control experiment was performed with ascorbic acid solution. It was shown that the electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid does not lead to reactions with chitosan and does not change cantilever bending. These results suggest that chitosan can confer increased sensitivity and selectivity to microcantilever sensors.     

Electronically monitoring biological interactions with carbon nanotube field-effect transistors

The year 2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (NTFET). In the past decade a vast amount of effort has been placed on the development of NTFET based sensors for the detection of both chemical and biological species. Towards this end, NTFETs show great promise because of their extreme environmental sensitivity, small size, and ultra-low power requirements. Despite the great progress NTFETs have shown in the field of biological sensing, debate still exists over the mechanistic origins underlying the electronic response of NTFET devices, specifically whether analyte species interact with the carbon nanotube conduction channel or if interaction with the NTFET electrodes actually triggers device response. In this tutorial review, we describe the fabrication of NTFET devices, and detail several reports that illustrate recent advances in biological detection using NTFET devices, while highlighting the suggested mechanisms explaining the device response to analyte species. In doing this we hope to show that NTFET technology has the potential for low-cost and portable bioanalytical platforms.     

Designing State-of-the-Art Gas Sensors: From Fundamentals to Applications

Gas sensors are crucial in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and medical diagnostics. Due to the rising demand for precise and reliable gas detection, there is a rising demand for cutting-edge gas sensors that possess exceptional sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. Due to their tunable electrical properties, high-density surface-active sites, and significant surface-to-volume ratio, nanomaterials have been extensively investigated in this regard. The traditional gas sensors utilize homogeneous material for sensing where the adsorbed surface oxygen species play a vital role in their sensing activity. However, their performance for selective gas sensing is still unsatisfactory because the employed high temperature leads to the poor stability. The heterostructures nanomaterials can easily tune sensing performance and their different energy band structures, work functions, charge carrier concentration and polarity, and interfacial band alignments can be precisely designed for high-performance selective gas sensing at low temperature. In this review article, we discuss in detail the fundamentals of semiconductor gas sensing along with their mechanisms. Further, we highlight the existed challenges in semiconductor gas sensing. In addition, we review the recent advancements in semiconductor gas sensor design for applications from different perspective. Finally, the conclusion and future perspectives for improvement of the gas sensing performance are discussed.     

Single Conducting Polymer Nanowire Based Sequence‐Specific,Base‐Pair‐Length Dependant Label‐free DNA Sensor

We have fabricated a highly sensitive, simple and label‐free single polypyrrole (Ppy) nanowire based conductometric/chemiresistive DNA sensor. The fabrication was optimized in terms of probe DNA sequence immobilization using a linker molecule and using gold‐thiol interaction. Two resultant sensor designs working on two different sensing mechanisms (gating effect and work function based sensors) were tested to establish reliable sensor architecture with higher sensitivity and device‐to‐device reproducibility. The utility of the work function based configuration was demonstrated by detecting 19 base pair (bp) long breast cancer gene sequence with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discrimination with high sensitivity, lower detection limit of ∼10⁻¹⁶ M and wide dynamic range (∼10⁻¹⁶ to 10⁻¹¹ M) in a small sample volume (30 µL). To further demonstrate the utility of the DNA sensor for detection of target sequences with different number of bases, targets with 21 and 36 bases were detected. These sequences have implications in environmental sample analysis or metagenomics. Sensor response showed increase with the number of bases in the target sequence. For long sequence (with 36 bases), effect of DNA alignment on sensor performance was studied.     

Ionic liquids as precursors for highly luminescent,surface-different nitrogen-doped carbon dots used for label-free detection of Cu/Fe and cell imaging

Carbon nanodots (C-Dots) have attracted much attention in recent years due to their low cost, ready scalability, excellent chemical stability, biocompatibility and multicolor luminescence. Here, we report a facile strategy for producing highly luminescent, surface-different nitrogen-doped carbon dots (C-Dots) by using different ionic liquids (ILs). Intriguingly, the surface-different C-Dots show different selectivity for Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example which shows that ILs are excellent precursors for producing luminescent nanomaterial used for detection of different metal ions. The resultant nitrogen-doped C-Dots are highly photoluminescent and can be used for multicolor bioimaging. Most notable, by taking different ILs as precursors, we obtain surface-different C-Dots, which can be directly used for selective detection of Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ without any modification. These C-Dots based sensors exhibit high sensitivity and selectivity and the sensing process can be easily accomplished with one-step rapid operation. More importantly, compared with other method using QDs, organic dyes and organic solvent, this strategy is much more eco-friendly. This work may offer a new approach for developing low cost and sensitive C-Dots-based sensors for biological and environmental applications.