Chemosensors, Volume 10, Issue 4 (April 2022) – 29 articles

In this work, we aimed to apply fluorescence microscopy to image protein conjugation to Ni-NTA modified silver nanowires in real time via the His-tag attachment. First, a set of experiments was designed and performed for the mixtures of proteins and silver nanowires in order to demonstrate plasmon enhancement of mCherry protein fluorescence as well as the ability to image fluorescence of single molecules. The results indicated strong enhancement of single-protein fluorescence emission upon coupling with silver nanowires. This conclusion was supported by a decrease in the fluorescence decay time of mCherry proteins. Real-time imaging was carried out for a structure created by dropping protein solution onto a glass substrate with functionalized silver nanowires. We observed specific attachment of mCherry proteins to the nanowires, with the recognition time being much longer than in the case of streptavidin–biotin conjugation. This result indicated that it is possible to design a universal and efficient real-time sensing platform with plasmonically active functionalized silver nanowires. Full article

Monitoring water quality has become a goal to prevent issues related to human health and environmental conditions. In this sense, the concentration of metal ions in water sources is screened, as these are considered persistent contaminants. In this work, we describe the implementation of customized graphite electrodes decorated with two types of Hg nanoparticles (Hg-NPs), optimized toward the electrochemical detection of Cd, Pb and Cu. Here, we combine Hg, a well-known property to form alloys with other metals, with the nanoscale features of Hg-NPs, resulting in improved electrochemical sensors towards these analytes with a substantial reduction in the used Hg amount. Hg-NPs were synthesized using poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) in a combined role as a reducing and stabilizing agent, and then appropriately characterized by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Zeta Potential. The surface of composite electrodes with optimized graphite content was modified by the drop-casting of the prepared Hg-NPs. The obtained nanocomposite electrodes were morphologically characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and electrochemically by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the Hg-NP-modified electrodes present better responses towards Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) detection in comparison with the bare graphite electrode. Analytical performance of sensors was evaluated by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV), obtaining a linear range of 0.005–0.5 mg·L⁻¹ for Cd²⁺, of 0.028–0.37 mg·L⁻¹ for Pb²⁺ and of 0.057–1.1 mg·L⁻¹ for Cu²⁺. Real samples were analyzed using SWASV, showing good agreement with the recovery values of inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements. Full article

In this work, the photostimulated processes of O₂ and NO₂ molecules with the surface of ZnO under UV radiation were studied by in situ mass spectrometry in the temperature range of 30–100 ${}^{\circ }$C. Nanocrystalline needle-like ZnO was synthesized by decomposition of basic zinc carbonate at 300 ${}^{\circ }$C, and the surface concentration of oxygen vacancies in it were controlled by reductive post-annealing in an inert gas at 170 ${}^{\circ }$C. The synthesized materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (BET), XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and PL spectroscopy. Irradiation of samples with UV light causes the photoabsorption of both O₂ and NO₂. The photoadsorption properties of ZnO are compared with its defective structure and gas-sensitive properties to NO₂. A model of the sensor response of ZnO to NO₂ under UV photoactivation is proposed. Full article

In recent years, the use of ion-selective membranes in the sensing and assessment of environmental contaminants has become a critical goal. Using sodium tetraphenylborate (TPB) and phosphotungstic acid (PTA) as ion-pairing agents, two sensitive and selective sensors were manufactured to evaluate the electrochemical response of moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MOX). The optimal electrochemical behavior was attained by fine-tuning all assay parameters. The manufactured membranes’ performance was optimal in a pH range from 1.0 to 5.0 with a linearity between 1 × 10⁻⁶ M and 1 × 10⁻² M. The MOX–TPB and MOX–PTA membrane electrodes have Nernstian slopes of 59.2 ± 0.60 mV/decade and 58.4 ± 0.50 mV/decade, respectively. The proposed method was used to determine MOX in its pure form as well as real pharmaceutical wastewater effluents. The fabricated electrodes were effectively applied for the sensitive and selective determination of MOX in actual wastewater effluents without the need for any pre-treatment processes. Full article

A novel concept was successfully evaluated for the electrochemical quantitative analysis of zinc oxide nanoparticles originally in aqueous suspension. An aliquot of the suspension was first placed on the working area of a graphite screen-printed electrode and the water was evaporated to form a dry deposit of ZnO nanoparticles. Deposition of ZnO nanoparticles on the electrode was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A probe solution containing KCl and sodium metabisulfite was added on top of the deposit for electrochemical analysis by cyclic voltammetry. The anodic peak current (I_pa) for metabisulfite, measured at +1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, afforded a lower detection limit of 3 µg and exhibited a linear dependence on the mass of deposited ZnO nanoparticles up to 15 μg. Further, the current increased nonlinearly until it reached a saturation level beyond 60 μg of ZnO nanoparticles. The diffusion coefficient of metabisulfite anions through the electrical double layer was determined to be 4.16 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/s. Apparently the surface reactivity of ZnO originated from the oxide anion rather than the superoxide anion or the hydroxyl radical. Enhancement of the metabisulfite oxidation peak current can be developed into a sensitive method for the quantitation of ZnO nanoparticles. Full article

Grain size is one of the most important physical parameters for randomly packed granular (RPG) materials. Its estimation, especially in situ, plays a key role in many natural and industrial processes. Here, the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was investigated experimentally to estimate the grain size in RPG materials. The experiment was performed by taking sieved copper microspheres with discrete median diameters ranging from 53 to 357 μm as examples and by measuring the plasma emissions induced by 1064 nm laser pulses with a duration of 7 ns in an air environment. It was found that the plasma emission measurements were successful in estimating the grain median diameter via monitoring the variations in plasma temperature (electron density) at the range of median diameter below (above) a critical value. In addition, it was demonstrated that, when plasma temperature serves as an indicator of grain size, the intensity ratio between two spectral lines from different upper energy levels of the same emitting species can be used as an alternative indicator with higher sensitivity. The results show the potential of using LIBS for in situ estimation of grain size in RPG materials for the first time. Full article

Plasmin protease plays an important role in many processes in living systems, including milk. Monitoring plasmin activity is important for control of the nutritional quality of milk and other dairy products. We designed a biosensor to detect the proteolytic activity of plasmin, using multiharmonic quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The β-casein immobilized on the hydrophobic surface of 1-dodecanethiol on the AT-cut quartz crystal was used to monitor plasmin activity. We demonstrated detection of plasmin in a concentration range of 0.1–20 nM, with the limit of detection about 0.13 ± 0.01 nM. The analysis of viscoelastic properties of the β-casein layer showed rapid changes of shear elasticity modulus, μ, and coefficient of viscosity, η, at plasmin sub-nanomolar concentrations, followed by modest changes at nanomolar concentrations, indicating multilayer architecture β-casein. A comparative analysis of viscoelastic properties of β-casein layers following plasmin and trypsin cleavage showed that the higher effect of trypsin was due to larger potential cleavage sites of β-casein. Full article

The suspension array technology (SAT) is promising for high-sensitivity multiplexed analysis of tumor markers. Barcodes as the core elements of SAT, can generate encoding fluorescence signals (EFS) and detection fluorescence signals (DFS) in the corresponding flow cytometer channel. However, the bleed-through effect of EFS in the DFS channel and the reagent-driven non-specific binding (NSB) lead to background interference for ultrasensitive assay of multiple targets. Here, we report an ingenious method to eliminate background interference between barcode and reporter using low-background dual-signal-encoded barcodes (DSBs) based on microbeads (MBs) and quantum dots (QDs). The low-background DSBs were prepared via combination strategy of two signals containing scatter signals and fluorescence signals. Three types of MBs were distinguished by the scattering channel of flow cytometer (FSC vs. SSC) to obtain the scattered signals. Green quantum dots (GQDs) or red quantum dots (RQDs) were coupled to the surface of MBs by sandwich immune structure to obtain the distinguishable fluorescent signals. Furthermore, the amount of conjugated capture antibody on the MB’s surface was optimized by comparing the change of detection sensitivity with the addition of capture antibody. The combination measurements of specificity and NSB in SAT platform were performed by incubating the capture antibody-conjugated MBs (cAb-MBs) with individual QD-conjugated detection antibody (QDs-dAb). Finally, an SAT platform based on DSBs was successfully established for highly sensitive multiplexed analysis of six tumor markers in one test, which suggests the promising tool for highly sensitive multiplexed bioassay applications. Full article

Yeast studies usually focus on exploring diversity in terms of a specific trait (such as growth rate, antibiotic resistance, or fertility) among extensive strains. Microfluidic chips improve these biological studies in a manner of high throughput and high efficiency. For a population study of yeast, it is of great significance to set a proper initial cell density for every strain under specific circumstances. Herein, we introduced a novel design of chip, which enables users to load cells in a gradient order (six alternatives) of initial cell density within one channel. We discussed several guidelines to choose the appropriate chamber to ensure successful data recording. With this chip, we successfully studied the growth rate of yeast strains under a mating response, which is crucial for yeasts to control growth behaviors for prosperous mating. We investigated the growth rate of eight different yeast strains under three different mating pheromone levels (0.3 μM, 1 μM, and 10 μM). Strains with, even, a six-fold in growth rate can be recorded, with the available data produced simultaneously. This work has provided an efficient and time-saving microfluidic platform, which enables loading cells in a pattern of multi-cell densities for a yeast population experiment, especially for a high-throughput study. Besides, a quantitatively analyzed growth rate of different yeast strains shall reveal inspiring perspectives for studies concerning yeast population behavior with a stimulated mating pheromone. Full article

Mercury ion is one of the most widespread heavy metal contaminants which can accumulate in the body through multiple channels, posing a detrimental impact on human health. We demonstrate a simple and low-cost method for the detection of Hg²⁺ assisted by a cholesteric liquid crystal photonic hydrogel (polyacrylic acid (PAA)) film with immobilized urease (CLC-PAA_urease film). In the absence of Hg²⁺, a significant change in color and an obvious red shift in the reflected light wavelength of the prepared film were observed, since urease can hydrolyze urea to produce NH₃, resulting in an increasing pH value of the microenvironment of CLC-PAA_urease film. Hg²⁺ can inhibit the activity of urease so that the color change of the film is not obvious, corresponding to a relatively small variation of the reflected light wavelength. Therefore, Hg²⁺ can be quantitatively detected by measuring the displacement of the reflected light wavelength of the film. The detection limit of Hg²⁺ is about 10 nM. This approach has a good application prospect in the monitoring of heavy metal ions in environmental water resources. Full article

A very simple, fast and non-chromatographic methodology for inorganic antimony speciation based on Multisyringe Flow Injection Analysis (MSFIA) employing online hydride generation (HG) ICP-MS was developed. The fully automated analysis is performed in two steps: firstly, Sb(III) is quantified by ICP-MS after chemical vapor generation; then, total antimony is determined in the presence of potassium iodide as a pre-reducer of Sb(V) to Sb(III). The Sb(V) concentration is quantified by the difference between the total antimony and Sb(III) concentrations, reaching an analysis frequency of 30 h⁻¹. The optimization was performed using a Box Behnken design. The MSFIA-HG-ICP-MS system allows the antimony speciation analysis with a detection limit of 0.016 µg L⁻¹ for Sb(III), working in a linear range of 0.053 to 5.0 µg L⁻¹. This method was applied for the determination of Sb(III) and Sb(V) in water samples from Maiorca Island, Spain, and the concentrations found varied from 0.10 to 0.14 µg L⁻¹ for Sb(III) and from 0.12 to 0.28 µg L⁻¹ for Sb(V). The results were validated by addition/recovery tests, obtaining recoveries between 90 and 111% in both cases. Furthermore, a good precision was achieved, 1.4% RSD, and sample and reagent consumption were reduced to a few mL, with the consequent decrease in waste generation. Thus, the proposed method is a good tool for the speciation of inorganic antimony at ultra-trace levels in waters, allowing its risk assessment. Full article

Novel, sensitive, selective, efficient and portable electrochemical biosensors are needed to detect residual contaminants of the pesticide 1-naphthyl methylcarbamate (carbaryl) in the environment, food, and essential biological fluids. In this work, a study of nanocomposite-based Ag reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and chitosan (CS) that optimise surface conditions for immobilisation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme to improve the performance of catalytic biosensors is examined. The Ag/rGO/CS nanocomposite membrane was used to determine carbaryl pesticide using a potentiometer transducer. The AChE enzyme-based biosensor exhibits a good affinity for acetylthiocholine chloride (ATCl). It can catalyse the hydrolysis of ATCl with a potential value of 197.06 mV, which is then oxidised to produce a detectable and rapid response. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor detected carbaryl pesticide at concentrations in the linear range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 μg mL⁻¹ with a limit of detection (LoD) of 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ μg mL⁻¹. The developed biosensor exhibits a wide working concentration range, detection at low concentrations, high sensitivity, acceptable stability, reproducibility and simple fabrication, thus providing a promising tool for pesticide residue analysis. Full article

This work describes the complete elaboration of an immunosensor for the detection of the fungal B1 aflatoxin (AFB1). In a first step, a system made of three screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) was manufactured using gold, silver/silver chloride, and carbon pastes. Raman spectroscopy showed that the thermal treatment applied to the electrodes enabled a strong decrease in the amount of undesirable organic molecules for each paste. Atomic Force Microscopy was also used to reveal the morphology of the electrode surfaces. In a second step, an autonomous and cheap electronic system was designed for the control of the sensor and electrochemical measurements, showing current variations significantly higher than those observed with a commercial system. In a last step, the gold working electrode of this system was functionalized by a simple self-assembly method, optimized in a previous work, with a molecular architecture including an antibody recognizing specifically AFB1. The complete device was finally realized by combining the SPEs and the electronic platform. The resulting setup was able to detect AFB1 toxin in a buffer with an LOD of about 50 fg/mL. It was then applied to the detection of AFB1 in rice milk, a more realistic medium comparable with those met in an agrifood context. The electrochemical detection of AFB1 was possible in a range of concentration between 0.5 pg/mL and 2.5 pg/mL, with the sensor behaving linearly in this range. Full article

In the last few decades, plasmonic colorimetric biosensors raised increasing interest in bioanalytics thanks to their cost-effectiveness, responsiveness, and simplicity as compared to conventional laboratory techniques. Potential high-throughput screening and easy-to-use assay procedures make them also suitable for realizing point of care devices. Nevertheless, several challenges such as fabrication complexity, laborious biofunctionalization, and poor sensitivity compromise their technological transfer from research laboratories to industry and, hence, still hamper their adoption on large-scale. However, newly-developing plasmonic colorimetric biosensors boast impressive sensing performance in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range, limit of detection, reliability, and specificity thereby continuously encouraging further researches. In this review, recently reported plasmonic colorimetric biosensors are discussed with a focus on the following categories: (i) on-platform-based (localized surface plasmon resonance, coupled plasmon resonance and surface lattice resonance); (ii) colloid aggregation-based (label-based and label free); (iii) colloid non-aggregation-based (nanozyme, etching-based and growth-based). Full article

In this work, organic–inorganic hybrids based on nanocrystalline indium oxide and ruthenium (II) heteroleptic complexes were used as sensitive materials for room temperature light-activated NO₂ detection. In₂O₃ was obtained by chemical precipitation method and then annealed at three different temperatures (T = 300, 500, 700 °C) in order to investigate the influence of the microstructure of indium oxide on sensor characteristics of hybrid materials and on kinetics of the rise and fall of photoconductivity. The results of the X-ray phase analysis demonstrated that the obtained materials are single-phase with a cubic bixbyite structure. The Ru (II) heteroleptic complex, which was used as a photosensitizer, made it possible to shift the optical sensitivity range of the hybrids to the low energy region of the spectrum and to use a low-power LED (λ_max = 470 nm) source for the photoactivation process. The sensor properties were investigated toward NO₂ at sub-ppm range at room temperature. It was found that for pure oxides, the sensor signal correlates with a specific surface area, while for hybrid materials, both the sensor signal and photoresponse increase with increasing the matrix crystallinity. In this case, the main role is played by traps of nonequilibrium charge carriers, which are structural defects in the matrix. Full article

Nowadays, the growing interest in a healthy lifestyle, to compensate for modern stressful habits, has led to an increased demand for wholesome products with quick preparation times. Fresh and ready-to-eat leafy green vegetables are generally perceived as salutary and safe, although they have been recognized as a source of food poisoning outbreaks worldwide. The reason is that these products retain much of their indigenous microflora after minimal industrial processing, and are expected to be consumed without any additional treatment by consumers. Microbiological safety requires a systematic approach that encompasses all aspects of production, processing and distribution. Nevertheless, the most common laboratory techniques used for the detection of pathogens are expensive, time consuming, need laboratory professionals and are not able to provide prompt results, required to undertake effective corrective actions. In this context, the solution proposed in this work is a novel electrochemical sensing system, able to provide real-time information on microbiological risk, which is also potentially embeddable in an industrial production line. The results showed the sensor ability to detect leafy green salad bacterial contaminations with adequate sensibility, even at a low concentration. Full article

Significant tasks of the presented research are the development of multifunctional materials capable both to detect/capture carbon dioxide and to monitor toxic metal ions from waters, thus contributing to maintaining a sustainable and clean environment. The purpose of this work was to synthesize, characterize (NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence, AFM) and exploit the optical and emission properties of a carboxyl-substituted A₃B porphyrin, 5-(4-carboxy-phenyl)-10,15,20-tris-(4-methyl-phenyl)–porphyrin, and based on it, to develop novel composite material able to adsorb carbon dioxide. This porphyrin-k-carrageenan composite material can capture CO₂ in ambient conditions with a performance of 6.97 mmol/1 g adsorbent. Another aim of our research was to extend this porphyrin- k-carrageenan material’s functionality toward Mn²⁺ detection from polluted waters and from medical samples, relying on its synergistic partnership with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The plasmonic porphyrin-k-carrageenan-AuNPs material detected Mn²⁺ in the range of concentration of 4.56 × 10⁻⁵ M to 9.39 × 10⁻⁵ M (5–11 mg/L), which can be useful for monitoring health of humans exposed to polluted water sources or those who ingested high dietary manganese. Full article

We have designed a new ternary structure to enhance the sensing properties of WS₂ nanosheet (NS)-based gas sensors at room temperature (RT) in self-heating mode. SnO₂ nanowires (NWs, 10–30 wt%) were added to WS₂ NSs and then Au nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on the surface of the resulting composites by UV irradiation. The Au-decorated 10 wt% SnO₂–WS₂ composition showed the highest gas sensing properties. The presence of SnO₂ NWs on the WS₂ NSs effectively enhanced the diffusion and adsorption of gas species into deeper parts of the gas sensor. Furthermore, the chemical sensitization of Au (increase in oxygen ionosorption; spillover effect and catalytic effect towards CO) contributed to an enhanced response to CO gas. Gas sensing tests performed in the self-heating mode demonstrated the possibility of realizing a low-voltage, low-power-consumption CO gas sensor based on the Au-decorated 10 wt% SnO₂–WS₂. The sensor response under 60% relative humidity (RH) conditions was 84% of that under dry conditions, which shows that CO sensing is possible in wet environments at room temperature operation. Full article

This work aims at developing and validating under laboratory-controlled conditions a gas mixture generation device designed for easy on-site or laboratory calibration of analytical instruments dedicated to air monitoring, such as analysers or sensors. This portable device, which has been validated for formaldehyde, is compact and is based on the diffusion of liquid formaldehyde through a short microporous interface with an air stream to reach non-Henry equilibrium gas–liquid dynamics. The geometry of the temperature-controlled assembly has been optimised to allow easy change of the aqueous solution, keeping the microporous tube straight. The formaldehyde generator has been coupled to an on-line formaldehyde analyser to monitor the gas concentration generated as a function of the liquid formaldehyde concentration, the temperature, the air gas flow rate, and the microporous tube length. Our experimental results show that the generated gaseous formaldehyde concentration increase linearly between 10 and 1740 µg m⁻³ with that of the aqueous solution ranging between 0 and 200 mg L⁻¹ for all the gas flow rates studied, namely 25, 50 and 100 mL min⁻¹. The generated gas phase concentration also increases with increasing temperature according to Henry’s law and with increasing the gas–liquid contact time either by reducing the gas flow rate from 100 to 25 mL min⁻¹ or increasing the microporous tube length from 3.5 to 14 cm. Finally, the performances of this modular formaldehyde generator are compared and discussed with those reported in the scientific literature or commercialised by manufacturers. The technique developed here is the only one allowing to operate with a low flow rate such as 25 to 100 mL min⁻¹ while generating a wide range of concentrations (10–1000 µg m⁻³) with very good accuracy. Full article

In this paper, the optical properties of viburnum extract flavonoids in the visible region of the spectrum were investigated and their use as a potential photosensitizer of singlet oxygen for photodynamic therapy was evaluated. The presence of long-lived excited states in the extract molecules was established by spectral methods and time-resolved spectroscopy methods and the dependences of the absorption capacity and luminescence intensity of the extract molecules on the concentrations of oxygen and ablative nanoparticles of the gold in the reverse micelles of AOT (sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate) were established. The plasmonic enhancement of the luminescence of the extract molecules and the processes of their complexation with oxygen were also established. Furthermore, the rate constants of the processes of conversion of exciting energy in complexes were determined. Full article

The affordable and scalable synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles that are biocompatible without additional functionalization steps has been a growing field of research, stimulated by numerous prospective applications of these NPs. In the case of phytosynthesized or biogenic noble metal NPs, the mechanism of NP stabilization by biomolecules contained in each particular plant extract or living organism determines the possible applications of these NPs. In this work, we investigated Ag NPs synthesized in water with plant extracts of common toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) and two species of pepper (Capsicum annuum and Capsicum chinense). From FTIR and XPS, we drew conclusions about the composition of the functional groups and molecules that stabilize NPs in each extract, such as polysaccharide compounds (pectins, cellulose, glycosides and phenolic acids). Distinct characteristic IR features of amide I and amide II proteins were observed, which are common in plant extracts, while features of amide III were not distinctly observed in our extracts. A Raman spectroscopy study revealed weak own-SERS activity of the biomolecules of the extract and high efficiency of the NPs in the enhancement of “external” analytes, such as dyes and antibodies. This is the first report of the efficient SERS application of phytosynthesized Ag NPs. Full article

The rapid quantification of antimicrobial agents is important for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), enabling personalized dosing schemes in critically ill patients. Highly sophisticated TDM technology is becoming available, but its implementation in hospitals is still limited. Among the various proposed techniques, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) stands out as one of the more interesting due to its extremely high sensitivity, rapidity, and fingerprinting capabilities. Here, we present a comprehensive review of various SERS-based novel approaches applied for direct and indirect detection and quantification of antibiotic, antifungal, and antituberculosis drugs in different matrices, particularly focusing on the challenges for successful exploitation of this technique in the development of assays for point-of-care tests. Full article

Gas sensors have wide applications in several fields, spanning diverse areas such as environmental monitoring, healthcare, defense, and the evaluation of personal and occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals. Different typologies of gas sensors have been proposed over the years, such as optical, electrochemical, and metal oxide gas sensors. In this paper, a relatively new typology of gas sensors is explored: the microwave gas sensor. It consists of a combination of a microwave transducer with a nanostructured sensing material deposited on an interdigitated capacitor (IDC). The device is designed and fabricated on a Rogers substrate (RO4003C) using microstrip technology, and investigated as a microwave transducer over the frequency range from 1 GHz to 6 GHz by measuring the scattering (S) parameters in response to gas adsorption and desorption. The sensing material is based on a nano-powder of barium titanate oxalate with a coating of urea (BaTiO(C₂O₄)₂/CO(NH₂)₂). It is deposited on the IDC surface by drop coating, thus creating a sensing film. The developed prototype has been tested toward different oxygen (O₂) concentrations and exhibits a sensitivity of 28 kHz/%O₂. Special attention has been devoted to the measurement process. Besides the canonical short-open-load-thru (SOLT) calibration of the measured S-parameters, a thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration has been performed in order to get rid of the parasitic electromagnetic (EM) contributions of the board connectors and the feedlines, thus moving the measurement reference planes to the edges of the IDC. Full article

Signals from resistive gas sensors based on zirconium dioxide and silicon–carbon films have been extensively investigated to estimate gas concentration. In this study, the change in the normalized resistance of the sensor’s response under NO₂ exposure is shown and the analysis of the first and second derivatives of the response curves were carried out. A signal-processing scheme, reducing the effect of noise and signal drift, is proposed. The extreme of the second derivative of the sensor response, the initial reaction rate, and the slope of the curve of the approximating line in the coordinates of the Elovich equation are proposed as calibration dependencies. The calibration curves built from the values of the maximum second derivative turned out to be the most stable, with the lowest relative error in estimating gas concentration compared to the traditional fixed-time point method. Full article

Development of electronic technologies for precise identification of fruit crop cultivars in agricultural production provides an effective means for assuring product quality and authentication. The capabilities of discriminating between grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars is essential for assuring certification of varieties sold in world markets. Machine olfaction, based on electronic-nose (e-nose) technologies, is readily available for rapid identification of fruit and vegetative agricultural products. This technology relies on detection of and discrimination between volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from plant parts. It may be used in all stages of agricultural production to facilitate crop maintenance, cultivation, and harvesting decisions prior to marketing. An experimental e-nose device was constructed and tested in combination with five chemometric methods, including PCA, LDA, QDA, SVM, and ANN, as rapid, non-destructive tools for identification and classification of grape cultivars. An e-nose instrument equipped with nine metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors was utilized to identify and classify five grape cultivars based on leaf VOC emissions using supervised and non-supervised methods. Grape leaf samples were first identified as belonging to specific cultivar types using PCA analyses, which are non-supervised classification methods, with the first two principal components (PC-1 and PC-2) accounting for 89% of the total variance. Four supervised statistical methods were further tested, including DA, QDA, SVM, and ANN, and provided effective discrimination accuracies of 98%, 99%, 92%, and 99%, respectively. These findings confirmed the suitable applicability of an MOS e-nose sensor array with supervised methods for accurate identification of grape cultivars, which is useful for authentication of vine cultivar types for commercial markets. Full article

This study aims to develop a spatial dual-sensor module for acquiring visible and near-infrared images in the same space without time shifting and to synthesize the captured images. The proposed method synthesizes visible and near-infrared images using contourlet transform, principal component analysis, and iCAM06, while the blending method uses color information in a visible image and detailed information in an infrared image. The contourlet transform obtains detailed information and can decompose an image into directional images, making it better in obtaining detailed information than decomposition algorithms. The global tone information is enhanced by iCAM06, which is used for high-dynamic range imaging. The result of the blended images shows a clear appearance through both the compressed tone information of the visible image and the details of the infrared image. Full article

Accurate and timely detection of infectious pathogens is urgently needed for disease treatment and control of possible outbreaks worldwide. Conventional methods for pathogen detection are usually time-consuming and labor-intensive. Novel strategies for the identification of pathogenic nucleic acids are necessary for practical application. The advent of microfluidic technology and microfluidic devices has offered advanced and miniaturized tools to rapidly screen microorganisms, improving many drawbacks of conventional nucleic acid amplification-based methods. In this review, we summarize advances in the microfluidic approach to detect pathogens based on nucleic acid amplification. We survey microfluidic platforms performing two major types of nucleic acid amplification strategies, namely, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and isothermal nucleic acid amplification. We also provide an overview of nucleic acid amplification-based platforms including studies and commercialized products for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Technologically, we focus on the design of the microfluidic devices, the selected methods for sample preparation, nucleic acid amplification techniques, and endpoint analysis. We also compare features such as analysis time, sensitivity, and specificity of different platforms. The first section of the review discusses methods used in microfluidic devices for upstream clinical sample preparation. The second section covers the design, operation, and applications of PCR-based microfluidic devices. The third section reviews two common types of isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods (loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification) performed in microfluidic systems. The fourth section introduces microfluidic applications for nucleic acid amplification-based detection of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, the review concludes with the importance of full integration and quantitative analysis for clinical microbial identification. Full article

This study proposes a bidirectional chemical sensor platform using ambipolar double-gate ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFET) with microwave-assisted Ni-silicide Schottky-barrier (SB) source and drain (S/D) on a fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) substrate. The microwave-assisted Ni-silicide SB S/D offer bidirectional turn-on characteristics for both p- and n-type channel operations. The p- and n-type operations are characterized by high noise resistance as well as improved mobility and excellent drift performance, respectively. These features enable sensing regardless of the gate voltage polarity, thus contributing to the use of detection channels based on various target substances, such as cells, antigen-antibodies, DNA, and RNA. Additionally, the capacitive coupling effect existing between the top and bottom gates help achieve self-amplified pH sensitivity exceeding the Nernst limit of 59.14 mV/pH without any additional amplification circuitry. The ambipolar FET sensor performance was evaluated for bidirectional electrical characteristics, pH detection in the single-gate and double-gate modes, and reliability in continuous and repetitive operations. Considering the excellent characteristics confirmed through evaluation, the proposed ambipolar chemical sensor platform is expected to be applicable to various fields including biosensors. And through linkage with subsequent studies, various medical applications and precision detector operations for specific markers will be possible. Full article

Perfluoroisobutyronitrile (C₄F₇N), an environment-friendly insulating gas, has excellent insulating properties and has the potential to be used in gas-insulated equipment when mixed with CO₂. Selecting suitable adsorption materials to adsorb the decomposition products of the C₄F₇N mixture can ensure the safe and stable operation of the gas-insulated equipment and the personal safety of the operators in the electric power industry. The adsorption characteristics of the ZSM-5 molecular sieve on C₄F₇N and its five fluorocarbon decomposition products were investigated by adsorption experiments. The results show that the ZSM-5 molecular sieve has a certain adsorption effect on six fluorocarbon gases; the adsorption performance of C₃F₆ and C₃F₈ are the best, with an adsorption efficiency over 85%, while the concentration of CO₂ and C₄F₇N is affected by the ZSM-5 molecular sieve. At the same time, the paper based on the Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation of Materials Studio software found that the ZSM-5 molecular sieve has the strongest adsorption effect on C₄F₇N molecules and the weakest adsorption effect on CO₂ molecules. The stronger the polarity of the gas molecule, the more obvious the adsorption effect of molecular sieve structure on it. As a result, the ZSM-5 molecular sieve could be used in tail gas purification of insulated equipment, as well as to provide solutions for the development and production of protective equipment. Full article