Applications of Silicon Nanowires in Biosensors:A Review

doi:10.13523/j.cb.2107066

China Biotechnology

2022, Vol. 42

Issue (1/2): 174-181 DOI: 10.13523/j.cb.2107066

Orginal Article

Applications of Silicon Nanowires in Biosensors:A Review

ZHU Shu¹,ZHU Li-feng¹,YANG Shuo¹,JIN Ran¹,WANG Yu-sheng^2,^*(

),SUN Bao-quan^2,^*(

)

1 College of Nano Science & Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
2 Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China

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Abstract

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) is one of the one-dimensional nanomaterials, and has been emerged as the promising sensing materials due to large surface area to volume ratio and high stability. The research of SiNW in sensing field has received wide attention. With the development of SiNW synthesis techniques and modification methods, biosensors based on silicon nanowires are now introduced into many research areas, including the detection of metal ions, early protein biomarkers and drug screening. On the other hand, high biocompatibility and commercial feasibility of silicon nanowires provide the potential to dynamic and real-time monitoring of single cell. Meanwhile, the research on silicon-based biosensors reveals different mechanisms like electrical, optical methods. Sensitivity, specificity and stability are important indicators of sensors to measure the performance during the detection of biochemical substances. Stable chemical properties of silicon nanowires provide an ideal platform for the fabrication of sensors. However, the surface modification remains as one of the challenges when biosensors based on silicon nanowires are used for different application scenarios. Depending on different requirements for sensing, silicon-based biosensors with different sensing mechanisms have been proposed. In terms of biosensors based on electrical signals, SiNW field-effect transistor (SiNW-FET) has been widely studied, which achieves ultra-sensitive detection of target substances by detecting the output electrical signal of sensor through the conductivity change of nanowire induced by surface charge density. Among biosensors based on optical signals, SiNW-based fluorescent sensor achieves detection by measuring the change of fluorescence intensity or wavelength, enabling fast and convenient detection. In this paper, the applications of silicon nanowires in biosensors are summarized, and the sensing mechanisms of SiNW-FET and SiNW-based fluorescent sensor are discussed. Finally, the future research and development of silicon nanowires in biosensors are prospected.

Key words： Silicon nanowire Biosensor Field effect transistor Fluorescent sensor

Received: 30 July 2021 Published: 03 March 2022

ZTFLH:

TB383

Corresponding Authors: Yu-sheng WANG,Bao-quan SUN E-mail: yushengwang@suda.edu.cn;bqsun@suda.edu.cn

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	Bao-quan SUN

Cite this article:

ZHU Shu,ZHU Li-feng,YANG Shuo,JIN Ran,WANG Yu-sheng,SUN Bao-quan. Applications of Silicon Nanowires in Biosensors:A Review. China Biotechnology, 2022, 42(1/2): 174-181.

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https://manu60.magtech.com.cn/biotech/10.13523/j.cb.2107066 OR https://manu60.magtech.com.cn/biotech/Y2022/V42/I1/2/174

Fig.1 Scanning electron microscope morphology of a silicon nanowire array (a) The cross-sectional SEM image (b) The top-view SEM image

Fig.2 Schematic illustrating the conversion of a NW-FET into NW nano sensors for sensing^[9]

Table 1 Selected examples of fluorescent sensors for detecting metal ions with performance

Fig.3 The interaction between modified SiNWs and complexed Cu²⁺ (a) The diagram of interaction process (b) The fluorescence spectra with different concentration of Cu²⁺

Fig.4 The fluorescent images of modified SiNWs with Ca²⁺ (a) Before the addition of 500 μmol/L Ca²⁺ in the buffer (b) After the addition of 500 μmol/L Ca²⁺ in the buffer


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