Synthesis of bio-based materials from agricultural residues for treatment of petrochemical wastewater

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - 4-Carboxybenzaldehyde (4-CBA), a major component of purified terephthalic acid wastewater, is toxic to living organisms and required to be removed...     

Boosting Sensitivity and Reliability in Field-Effect Transistor-Based Biosensors with Nanoporous MoS2 Encapsulated by Non-Planar Al2O3 (Adv. Funct. Mater. 42/2023)

Field-effect transistors-based biosensors (bio-FETs) have been considered an important technology for label-free and ultrasensitive point-of-care diagnostics. However, practical applications using bio-FETs are limited due to the trade-off between sensing reliability and sensitivity. This study suggests a reliable and sensitive bio-FETs based on nanoporous molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) channels encapsulated by a non-planar high-k aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) dielectric layer. Nanoporous MoS₂ thin film is fabricated with an abundant edge area and periodically ordered nanopores via block copolymer lithography. The ultra-thin Al₂O₃ dielectric layer deposited along the nanoporous structure of the MoS₂ realizes effective electrostatic control of charged biomolecules over the MoS₂ channel. In addition, it plays important roles in not only enhancing the electrical performance of the nanoporous MoS₂ bio-FETs, that is, mobility, hysteresis, and subthreshold swing, but also achieving effective biomolecular immobilization on the device surface. The nanoporous MoS₂ channel structure surrounded by non-planar Al₂O₃ detects a prostate cancer biomarker with an ultra-low limit of detection of 1 fg mL⁻¹. Moreover, the excellent selectivity, high sensitivity, and clinical reliability of the nanoporous MoS₂ bio-FETs are also confirmed. The proposed device platform provides new insights and technical advances in the field of FETs based sensors for future point-of-care devices.