Recent Advancements in Novel Sensing Systems through Nanoarchitectonics

Large-scale plasmonic nanodisk array as a biosensing platform fabricated by transfer nanoprinting

Surface plasmon resonance based on nanostructures has been a powerful analytical tool in rapid detection and analysis of biomolecules. However, the fabrication of nanostructure sensors, such as electron beam lithography and focused ion beam milling, has inherent defects as manufacturing cost, complex process flow, and small fabrication area. In this paper, using the transfer nanoprinting approach based on an ultrathin anodic aluminum oxide membrane, a centimeter-scale ordered periodic Ag-ZnS bilayer nanodisk on Au film with a low cost and simple process is fabricated. A surface plasmon polariton Bloch mode from nanodisk arrays is experimentally demonstrated at normal incident of light. The plasmonic platform exhibits an ideal refractive index bulk sensitivity of up to 438 nm/RIU. Furthermore, by using a polyelectrolyte bilayer with well-defined thickness, the surface sensitivity of the biosensing platform is also investigated. The large-scale plasmonic bilayer nanoparticle biosensing platform has broad application prospects in development of low-cost and high-performance biosensing chips.

Applications and Tuning Strategies for Transcription Factor-Based Metabolite Biosensors

Transcription factor (TF)-based biosensors are widely used for the detection of metabolites and the regulation of cellular pathways in response to metabolites. Several challenges hinder the direct application of TF-based sensors to new hosts or metabolic pathways, which often requires extensive tuning to achieve the optimal performance. These tuning strategies can involve transcriptional or translational control depending on the parameter of interest. In this review, we highlight recent strategies for engineering TF-based biosensors to obtain the desired performance and discuss additional design considerations that may influence a biosensor's performance. We also examine applications of these sensors and suggest important areas for further work to continue the advancement of small-molecule biosensors.