Sol-gel barium titanate (BaTiO3) and erbium doped barium titanate (Er-BaTiO3) were deposited on SiO2/Si substrates. The phase and crystallinity of the thin films were identified using x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The effect of Er dopant into BaTiO3 thin film on its grain size and surface roughness was studied using atomic force microscope (AFM) in tapping mode. XRD patterns revealed that the films were crystallized with perovskite structure. At the same time, it was shown that introducing Er dopant into BaTiO3 thin film caused the dominant peak to shift towards higher angle. AFM micrographs indicated that the films had well distributed grains, dense and crack-free surface. In general, substitution of Er dopant into Ba-site reduced the grain sizes and roughness parameter of the BaTiO3 which was attributed to the smaller ionic radius of Er.
The pragmatic outcome of a lung cancer diagnosis is closely interrelated in reducing the number of fatal death caused by the world's top cancerous disease. Regardless of the advancement made in understanding lung tumor, and its multimodal treatment, in general the percentage of survival remain low. Late diagnosis of a cancerous cell in patients is the major hurdle for the above circumstances. In the new era of a lung cancer diagnosis with low cost, portable and non-invasive clinical sampling, nanotechnology is at its inflection point where current researches focus on the implementation of biosensor conjugated nanomaterials for the generation of the ideal sensing. The present review encloses the superiority of nanomaterials from zero to three-dimensional nanostructures in its discrete and nanocomposites nanotopography on sensing lung cancer biomarkers. Recent researches conducted on definitive nanomaterials and nanocomposites at multiple dimension with distinctive physiochemical property were focused to subside the cases associated with lung cancer through the development of novel biosensors. The hurdles encountered in the recent research and future preference with prognostic clinical lung cancer diagnosis using multidimensional nanomaterials and its composites are presented.
The creation of an appropriate thin film is important for the development of novel sensing surfaces, which will ultimately enhance the properties and output of high-performance sensors. In this study, we have fabricated and characterized zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on silicon substrates, which were hybridized with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to obtain ZnO-Aux (x = 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 nm) hybrid structures with different thicknesses. Nanoscale imaging by field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed increasing film uniformity and coverage with the Au deposition thickness. Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated that the AuNPs exhibit an increasing average diameter (5-10 nm). The face center cubic Au were found to co-exist with wurtzite ZnO nanostructure. Atomic force microscopy observations revealed that as the Au content increased, the overall crystallite size increased, which was supported by X-ray diffraction measurements. The structural characterizations indicated that the Au on the ZnO crystal lattice exists without any impurities in a preferred orientation (002). When the ZnO thickness increased from 10 to 40 nm, transmittance and an optical bandgap value decreased. Interestingly, with 50 nm thickness, the band gap value was increased, which might be due to the Burstein-Moss effect. Photoluminescence studies revealed that the overall structural defect (green emission) improved significantly as the Au deposition increased. The impedance measurements shows a decreasing value of impedance arc with increasing Au thicknesses (0 to 40 nm). In contrast, the 50 nm AuNP impedance arc shows an increased value compared to lower sputtering thicknesses, which indicated the presence of larger sized AuNPs that form a continuous film, and its ohmic characteristics changed to rectifying characteristics. This improved hybrid thin film (ZnO/Au) is suitable for a wide range of sensing applications.
Creating novel nanostructures is a primary step for high-performance analytical sensing. Herein, a new worm like nanostructure with Zinc Oxide-gold (ZnO/Au) hybrid was fabricated through an aqueous hydrothermal method, by doping Au-nanoparticle (AuNP) on the growing ZnO lattice. During ZnO growth, fine tuning the solution temperature expedites random curving of ZnO nanorods and forms nano-worms. The nano-worms which were evidenced by morphological, physical and structural analyses, revealed elongated structures protruding from the surface (length: 1 µm; diameter: ~100 nm). The appropriate peaks for the face centred cubic gold were (111) and (200), as seen from X-ray diffractogram. The strong interrelation between Au and ZnO was manifested by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The combined surface area increment from the nanoparticle radii and ZnO nanorod random curving gives raise an enhancement in detection sensitivity by increasing bio-loading. 'Au-decorated hybrid nano-worm' was immobilized with a probe DNA from Vibrio Cholera and duplexed with a target which was revealed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Our novel Au-decorated hybrid nano-worm is suitable for high-performance bio-sensing, as evidenced by impedance spectroscopy, having higher-specificity and attained femtomolar (10 fM) sensitivity. Further, higher stability, reproducibility and regeneration on this sensing surface were demonstrated.
Rationally designed biosensing system supports multiplex analyses is warranted for medical diagnosis to determine the level of analyte interaction. The chemically functionalized novel multi-electrode polysilicon nanogap (PSNG) lab-on-chip is designed in this study, facilitates multiplex analyses for a single analyte. On the fabricated 69nm PSNG, biocompatibility and structural characteristics were verified for the efficient binding of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). With the assistance of microfluidics, hCG sample was delivered via single-injection to 3-Aminopropyl(triethoxy)silane (APTES) and Glycidoxypropyl(trimethoxy)silane (GPMS) modified PSNG electrodes and the transduced signal was used to investigate the dielectric mechanisms for multiplex analyses. The results from amperometric response and impedance measurement delivered the scale of interaction between anti-hCG antibody and hCG that exhibited 6.5 times higher sensitivity for the chemical linker, APTES than GPMS. Under optimized experimental conditions, APTES and GPMS modified immunosensor has a limit of detection as 0.56mIU/ml and 2.93mIU/ml (at S/N=3), with dissociation constants (Kd) of 5.65±2.5mIU/ml and 7.28±2.6mIU/ml, respectively. These results suggest that multiplex analysis of single target could enhance the accuracy of detection and reliable for real-time comparative analyses. The designed PSNG is simple, feasible, requires low sample consumption and could be applied for any given multiplex analyses.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein hormone secreted from the placenta, is a key molecule that indicates pregnancy. Here, we have designed a cost-effective, label-free, in situ point-of-care (POC) immunosensor to estimate hCG using a cuneated 25 nm polysilicon nanogap electrode. A tiny chip with the dimensions of 20.5 × 12.5 mm was fabricated using conventional lithography and size expansion techniques. Furthermore, the sensing surface was functionalized by (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and quantitatively measured the variations in hCG levels from clinically obtained human urine samples. The dielectric properties of the present sensor are shown with a capacitance above 40 nF for samples from pregnant women; it was lower with samples from non-pregnant women. Furthermore, it has been proven that our sensor has a wide linear range of detection, as a sensitivity of 835.88 μA mIU(-1) ml(-2) cm(-2) was attained, and the detection limit was 0.28 mIU/ml (27.78 pg/ml). The dissociation constant Kd of the specific antigen binding to the anti-hCG was calculated as 2.23 ± 0.66 mIU, and the maximum number of binding sites per antigen was Bmax = 22.54 ± 1.46 mIU. The sensing system shown here, with a narrow nanogap, is suitable for high-throughput POC diagnosis, and a single injection can obtain triplicate data or parallel analyses of different targets.
The performance of sensing surfaces highly relies on nanostructures to enhance their sensitivity and specificity. Herein, nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films of various thicknesses were coated on glass and p-type silicon substrates using a sol-gel spin-coating technique. The deposited films were characterized for morphological, structural, and optoelectronic properties by high-resolution measurements. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the deposited films have a c-axis orientation and display peaks that refer to ZnO, which exhibits a hexagonal structure with a preferable plane orientation (002). The thicknesses of ZnO thin films prepared using 1, 3, 5, and 7 cycles were measured to be 40, 60, 100, and 200 nm, respectively. The increment in grain size of the thin film from 21 to 52 nm was noticed, when its thickness was increased from 40 to 200 nm, whereas the band gap value decreased from 3.282 to 3.268 eV. Band gap value of ZnO thin film with thickness of 200 nm at pH ranging from 2 to 10 reduces from 3.263eV to 3.200 eV. Furthermore, to evaluate the transducing capacity of the ZnO nanostructure, the refractive index, optoelectric constant, and bulk modulus were analyzed and correlated. The highest thickness (200 nm) of ZnO film, embedded with an interdigitated electrode that behaves as a pH-sensing electrode, could sense pH variations in the range of 2-10. It showed a highly sensitive response of 444 μAmM-1cm-2 with a linear regression of R2 =0.9304. The measured sensitivity of the developed device for pH per unit is 3.72μA/pH.
Hybrid gold nanostructures seeded into nanotextured zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflowers (NFs) were created for novel biosensing applications. The selected 'spotted NFs' had a 30-nm-thick gold nanoparticle (AuNP) layer, chosen from a range of AuNP thicknesses, sputtered onto the surface. The generated nanohybrids, characterized by morphological, physical and structural analyses, were uniformly AuNP-seeded onto the ZnO NFs with an average length of 2-3 μm. Selective capture of molecular probes onto the seeded AuNPs was evidence for the specific interaction with DNA from pathogenic Leptospirosis-causing strains via hybridization and mis-match analyses. The attained detection limit was 100 fM as determined via impedance spectroscopy. High levels of stability, reproducibility and regeneration of the sensor were obtained. Selective DNA immobilization and hybridization were confirmed by nitrogen and phosphorus peaks in an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The created nanostructure hybrids illuminate the mechanism of generating multiple-target, high-performance detection on a single NF platform, which opens a new avenue for array-based medical diagnostics.
Lung cancer is one of the most serious threats to human where 85% of lethal death caused by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) induced by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. The present research focuses in the development of efficient and effortless EGFR mutant detection strategy through high-performance and sensitive genosensor. The current amplified through 250 µm sized fingers between 100 µm aluminium electrodes indicates the voltammetry signal generated by means of the mutant DNA sequence hybridization. To enhance the DNA immobilization and hybridization, ∼25 nm sized aluminosilicate nanocomposite synthesized from the disposed joss fly ash was deposited on the gaps between aluminium electrodes. The probe, mutant (complementary), and wild (single-base pair mismatch) targets were designed precisely from the genomic sequences denote the detection of EGFR mutation. Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis was performed at every step of surface functionalization evidences the relevant chemical bonding of biomolecules on the genosensor as duplex DNA with peak response at 1150 cm-1 to 1650 cm-1. Genosensor depicts a sensitive EGFR mutation as it is able to detect apparently at 100 aM mutant against 1 µM DNA probe. The insignificant voltammetry signal generated with wild type strand emphasizes the specificity of genosensor in the detection of single base pair mismatch. The inefficiency of genosensor in detecting EGFR mutation in the absence of aluminosilicate nanocomposite implies the insensitivity of genosensing DNA hybridization and accentuates the significance of aluminosilicate. Based on the slope of the calibration curve, the attained sensitivity of aluminosilicate modified genosensor was 3.02E-4 A M-1. The detection limit of genosensor computed based on 3σ calculation, relative to the change of current proportional to the logarithm of mutant concentration is at 100 aM.
A genomic DNA-based colorimetric assay is described for the detection of the early growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, which is the protruding reason for non-small cell lung cancer. A DNA sequence was designed and immobilized on unmodified gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The formation of the respective duplex indicates the presence of an EGFR mutation. It is accompanied by the aggregation of the GNPs in the presence of monovalent ions, and it indicates the presence of an EGFR mutation. This is accompanied by a color change from red (520 nm) to purple (620 nm). Aggregation was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The limit of detection is 313 nM of the mutant target strand. A similar peak shift was observed for 2.5 μM concentrations of wild type target. No significant peak shift was observed with probe and non-complementary DNA. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of high-specific genomic DNA sequence on gold nanoparticle (GNP) aggregation with sodium chloride (NaCl). It illustrates the detection method for EGFR mutation on lung cancer detection. Red and purple colors of tubes represent dispersed and aggregated GNP, respectively.
In an aim of developing portable biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which facilitates the point-of-care aptasensing, a strategy using 10 μm gap-sized gold interdigitated electrode (AuIDE) is presented. The silane-modified AuIDE surface was deposited with ∼20 nm diamond and enhanced the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NCP). The characteristics of chemically modified diamond were evidenced by structural analyses, revealing the cubic crystalline nature at (220) and (111) planes as observed by XRD. XPS analysis denotes a strong interaction of carbon element, composed ∼95% as seen in EDS analysis. The C-C, CC, CO, CN functional groups were well-refuted from XPS spectra of carbon and oxygen elements in diamond. The interrelation between elements through FTIR analysis indicates major intrinsic bondings at 2687-2031 cm-1. The aptasensing was evaluated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, using NCP spiked human serum. With a good selectivity the lower detection limit was evidenced as 0.389 fM, at a linear detection range from 1 fM to 100 pM. The stability, and reusability of the aptasensor were demonstrated, showing ∼30% and ∼33% loss of active state, respectively, after ∼11 days. The detection of NCP was evaluated by comparing anti-NCP aptamer and antibody as the bioprobes. The determination coefficients of R2 = 0.9759 and R2 = 0.9772 were obtained for aptamer- and antibody-based sensing, respectively. Moreover, the genuine interaction of NCP aptamer and protein was validated by enzyme linked apta-sorbent assay. The aptasensing strategy proposed with AuIDE/diamond enhanced sensing platform is highly recommended for early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
An incredible amount of joss fly ash is produced from the burning of Chinese holy joss paper; thus, an excellent method of recycling joss fly ash waste to extract aluminosilicate nanocomposites is explored. The present research aims to introduce a novel method to recycle joss fly ash through a simple and straightforward experimental procedure involving acidic and alkaline treatments. The synthesized aluminosilicate nanocomposite was characterized to justify its structural and physiochemical characteristics. A morphological analysis was performed with field-emission transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy revealed the size of the aluminosilicate nanocomposite to be ~25 nm, while also confirming a uniformly spherical-shaped nanostructure. The elemental composition was measured by energy dispersive spectroscopy and revealed the Si to Al ratio to be 13.24 to 7.96, showing the high purity of the extracted nanocomposite. The roughness and particle distribution were analyzed using atomic force microscopy and a zeta analysis. X-ray diffraction patterns showed a synthesis of faceted and cubic aluminosilicate crystals in the nanocomposites. The presence of silica and aluminum was further proven by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the functional groups were recognized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal capacity of the nanocomposite was examined by a thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, the research suggested the promising application of aluminosilicate nanocomposites as drug carriers. The above was justified by an enzyme-linked apta-sorbent assay, which claimed that the limit of the aptasensing aluminosilicate-conjugated ampicillin was two-fold higher than that in the absence of the nanocomposite. The drug delivery property was further justified through an antibacterial analysis against Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Bacillus subtilis (gram-positive).