Molecular charge contact biosensing based on the interaction of biologically modified magnetic beads with an ion-sensitive field effect transistor

Molecular-Charge-Contact-Based Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistor Sensor in Microfluidic System for Protein Sensing

In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of direct protein sensing beyond the Debye length limit using a molecular-charge-contact (MCC)-based ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) sensor combined with a microfluidic device. Different from the MCC method previously reported, biotin-coated magnetic beads are set on the gate insulator of an ISFET using a button magnet before the injection of target molecules such as streptavidin. Then, the streptavidin—a biotin interaction, used as a model of antigen—antibody reaction is expected at the magnetic beads/gate insulator nanogap interface, changing the pH at the solution/dielectric interface owing to the weak acidity of streptavidin. In addition, the effect of the pH or ionic strength of the measurement solutions on the electrical signals of the MCC-based ISFET sensor is investigated. Furthermore, bound/free (B/F) molecule separation with a microfluidic device is very important to obtain an actual electrical signal based on the streptavidin–biotin interaction. Platforms based on the MCC method are suitable for exploiting the advantages of ISFETs as pH sensors, that is, direct monitoring systems for antigen–antibody reactions in the field of in vitro diagnostics.

Polycrystalline Boron-doped Diamond Electrolyte-solution-gate Field-effect Transistor Applied to the Measurement of Water Percentage in Ethanol

A polycrystalline diamond electrolyte-solution-gate field-effect transistor (BDD-SGFET) was successfully applied to the analysis of water content in ethanol. Due to the use of a no-gate-insulator FET, the developed sensor showed a four-times-faster response than the conventional Si-FET, and a ten-times-faster response than a glass electrode. The output voltage showed good linearity with respect to the water content. This result is of practical importance because the traditional water content measurement methods are impractical due to their slow response.