A Rapidly Stabilizing Water-Gated Field-Effect Transistor Based on Printed Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Biosensing Applications.

Alireza Molazemhosseini,Mario Caironi,Felix J Berger,Jana Zaumseil,Nicolas F Zorn,Fabrizio Antonio Viola

doi:10.1021/acsaelm.1c00332

Abstract

Biosensors are expected to revolutionize disease management through provision of low-cost diagnostic platforms for molecular and pathogenic detection with high sensitivity and short response time. In this context, there has been an ever-increasing interest in using electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors (EG-FETs) for biosensing applications owing to their expanding potential of being employed for label-free detection of a broad range of biomarkers with high selectivity and sensitivity while operating at sub-volt working potentials. Although organic semiconductors have been widely utilized as the channel in EG-FETs, primarily due to their compatibility with cost-effective low-temperature solution-processing fabrication techniques, alternative carbon-based platforms have the potential to provide similar advantages with improved electronic performances. Here, we propose the use of inkjet-printed polymer-wrapped monochiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) for the channel of EG-FETs in an aqueous environment. In particular, we show that our EG-CNTFETs require only an hour of stabilization before producing a highly stable response suitable for biosensing, with a drastic time reduction with respect to the most exploited organic semiconductor for biosensors. As a proof-of-principle, we successfully employed our water-gated device to detect the well-known biotin–streptavidin binding event.

Highlights

A lot of efforts have been devoted to the development of new classes of biosensors characterized by features such as a small form factor, low-manufacturing costs, and fast response time, aiming at point-of-care systems and self-testing platforms.Among the different types of transducers used for biosensing, a field-effect transistor (FET) has become an attractive candidate due to its intrinsic signal amplification, which results in a very high sensitivity
EG-CNTFET device presented in this study provides a stable and versatile platform that can be further exploited for the development of arrays of printed biosensors
We aimed at assessing the electrical performance of electrolyte-gated FETs (EG-FETs) based on printed random networks of polymer-wrapped monochiral (6,5) semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (s-SWCNT)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

A lot of efforts have been devoted to the development of new classes of biosensors characterized by features such as a small form factor (i.e., handheld), low-manufacturing costs, and fast response time, aiming at point-of-care systems and self-testing platforms. In the case of P3HT EGOFETs, more than 12 h of water immersion is required.[3,18,20−22] This process is attributed to a mild polymer swelling when it is in direct contact with water, as demonstrated by the presence of hydroxyl moieties in the polymer film as well as its increased roughness after exposure to water.[23] A similar behavior was reported for EGOFETs that use organic semiconductors blended with polystyrene as their active layer.[24] such a conditioning procedure imposes a constraint for the actual use of the biosensor In this respect, exploring alternative semiconductors that can be printed and share the same advantages of conjugated organic semiconductors in terms of manufacturing while offering advantages in terms of electronic properties and stability under operation in water is very desirable. EG-CNTFET device presented in this study provides a stable and versatile platform that can be further exploited for the development of arrays of printed biosensors

EXPERIMENTAL SECTION

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS

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