Nanowire Chemical/Biological Sensors: Status and a Roadmap for the Future

Abstract

Chemiresistive sensors are becoming increasingly important as they offer an inexpensive option to conventional analytical instrumentation, they can be readily integrated into electronic devices, and they have low power requirements. Nanowires (NWs) are a major theme in chemosensor development. High surface area, interwire junctions, and restricted conduction pathways give intrinsically high sensitivity and new mechanisms to transduce the binding or action of analytes. This Review details the status of NW chemosensors with selected examples from the literature. We begin by proposing a principle for understanding electrical transport and transduction mechanisms in NW sensors. Next, we offer the reader a review of device performance parameters. Then, we consider the different NW types followed by a summary of NW assembly and different device platform architectures. Subsequently, we discuss NW functionalization strategies. Finally, we propose future developments in NW sensing to address selectivity, sensor drift, sensitivity, response analysis, and emerging applications.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 11, 2015
Source ID
10.1002/anie.201505308

Entities

People

  • Jens B. Ravnsbæk
  • John F. Fennell Jr.
  • Jonathan G. Weis
  • Joseph M. Azzarelli
  • Katherine A. Mirica
  • Sophie F. Liu
  • SĂ©bastien Rochat
  • Timothy M. Swager

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • National Science Foundation

Tags

Readers

  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems