A Flexible PI/Si/SiO2 Piezoresistive Microcantilever for Trace-Level Detection of Aflatoxin B1

A Genosensor Based on the Modification of a Microcantilever: A Review

When the free end of a microcantilever is modified by a genetic probe, this sensor can be used for a wider range of applications, such as for chemical analysis, biological testing, pharmaceutical screening, and environmental monitoring. In this paper, to clarify the preparation and detection process of a microcantilever sensor with genetic probe modification, the core procedures, such as probe immobilization, complementary hybridization, and signal extraction and processing, are combined and compared. Then, to reveal the microcantilever's detection mechanism and analysis, the influencing factors of testing results, the theoretical research, including the deflection principle, the establishment and verification of a detection model, as well as environmental influencing factors are summarized. Next, to demonstrate the application results of the genetic-probe-modified sensors, based on the classification of detection targets, the application status of other substances except nucleic acid, virus, bacteria and cells is not introduced. Finally, by enumerating the application results of a genetic-probe-modified microcantilever combined with a microfluidic chip, the future development direction of this technology is surveyed. It is hoped that this review will contribute to the future design of a genetic-probe-modified microcantilever, with further exploration of the sensitive mechanism, optimization of the design and processing methods, expansion of the application fields, and promotion of practical application.

Recent Advances in Nanomechanical Membrane-Type Surface Stress Sensors towards Artificial Olfaction

Nanomechanical sensors have gained significant attention as powerful tools for detecting, distinguishing, and identifying target analytes, especially odors that are composed of a complex mixture of gaseous molecules. Nanomechanical sensors and their arrays are a promising platform for artificial olfaction in combination with data processing technologies, including machine learning techniques. This paper reviews the background of nanomechanical sensors, especially conventional cantilever-type sensors. Then, we focus on one of the optimized structures for static mode operation, a nanomechanical Membrane-type Surface stress Sensor (MSS), and discuss recent advances in MSS and their applications towards artificial olfaction.