Pub Date : 2025-12-28DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117437
Georgii A. Yuklyaevskikh , Boris S. Shvetsov , Andrey V. Emelyanov , Anna N. Matsukatova , Vladimir V. Rylkov , Pavel K. Kashkarov , Vyacheslav A. Demin
The development of reliable memory devices on flexible substrates is vital for wearable electronics with bio-inspired computing capabilities. This work presents a comprehensive experimental study of parylene-based memristors fabricated on flexible polyethylene naphthalate substrates, focusing on the impact of mechanical bending deformations on resistive switching (RS) characteristics. The bending test methodologies included in-situ investigation under constant mechanical stress (constant-curvature mode) and analysis after cyclic bending in undeformed state (deformation-free mode). The current-voltage characteristics demonstrate stability of resistive switching and its key parameters (e.g., set and reset voltages, RON and ROFF resistances in the low and high resistive states, respectively) for the bending radius down to 0.5 cm. Importantly, the intermediate resistive states stabilize at each bending level, enabling precise analog control. The devices also support biologically plausible spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning protocol. In addition, the possibility of flexible memristor implementation in neural networks for pattern recognition was analyzed. This study provides an experimental understanding of RS characteristics under mechanical deformations and allows the use of parylene memristors as a reliable circuit element for flexible neuromorphic electronics.
{"title":"Flexible parylene-based memristors: Electrophysical properties and applications in neuromorphic systems","authors":"Georgii A. Yuklyaevskikh , Boris S. Shvetsov , Andrey V. Emelyanov , Anna N. Matsukatova , Vladimir V. Rylkov , Pavel K. Kashkarov , Vyacheslav A. Demin","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of reliable memory devices on flexible substrates is vital for wearable electronics with bio-inspired computing capabilities. This work presents a comprehensive experimental study of parylene-based memristors fabricated on flexible polyethylene naphthalate substrates, focusing on the impact of mechanical bending deformations on resistive switching (RS) characteristics. The bending test methodologies included in-situ investigation under constant mechanical stress (constant-curvature mode) and analysis after cyclic bending in undeformed state (deformation-free mode). The current-voltage characteristics demonstrate stability of resistive switching and its key parameters (e.g., set and reset voltages, <em>R</em><sub>ON</sub> and <em>R</em><sub>OFF</sub> resistances in the low and high resistive states, respectively) for the bending radius down to 0.5 cm. Importantly, the intermediate resistive states stabilize at each bending level, enabling precise analog control. The devices also support biologically plausible spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning protocol. In addition, the possibility of flexible memristor implementation in neural networks for pattern recognition was analyzed. This study provides an experimental understanding of RS characteristics under mechanical deformations and allows the use of parylene memristors as a reliable circuit element for flexible neuromorphic electronics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117437"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-28DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117438
John R. Aggas , Anthony Guiseppi-Elie
Hemorrhagic shock remains a leading cause of early trauma-related death and requires early deployment of rapid, real-time physiological monitoring techniques. We present a computationally validated, miniaturized implantable biochip capable of multiplexed sensing of five analytes—glucose, lactate, pH, potassium, and oxygen—relevant to hemorrhagic trauma. Using microfabricated platforms with three electrode geometries (MDEA, IME, MDE), each sensor was modeled and optimized via COMSOL Multiphysics® and validated against experimental data. Each sensor was characterized for its sensitivity, response time, limit of detection, and linear range. In-silico optimization of each sensor modality in terms of performance and chemical/electrical crosstalk resulted in a 35 % reduction in the geometric footprint of the biochip. The study demonstrates a viable multi-physics approach for sensor design and development, offering utility for trauma related triage and organ transplant situations.
{"title":"A multiplexed, multi-analyte physiologic status monitoring biochip for hemorrhagic shock: A multiphysics approach toward design optimization","authors":"John R. Aggas , Anthony Guiseppi-Elie","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117438","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hemorrhagic shock remains a leading cause of early trauma-related death and requires early deployment of rapid, real-time physiological monitoring techniques. We present a computationally validated, miniaturized implantable biochip capable of multiplexed sensing of five analytes—glucose, lactate, pH, potassium, and oxygen—relevant to hemorrhagic trauma. Using microfabricated platforms with three electrode geometries (MDEA, IME, MDE), each sensor was modeled and optimized via COMSOL Multiphysics® and validated against experimental data. Each sensor was characterized for its sensitivity, response time, limit of detection, and linear range. <em>In-silico</em> optimization of each sensor modality in terms of performance and chemical/electrical crosstalk resulted in a 35 % reduction in the geometric footprint of the biochip. The study demonstrates a viable multi-physics approach for sensor design and development, offering utility for trauma related triage and organ transplant situations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117438"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-28DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117439
Jiyoung Son, Gabriel D. Parker, Xiao-Ying Yu
Separation of light weight molecules, such as nitrogen, argon, and oxygen, from heavier compounds can have significant impacts on energy capture, environmental monitoring, or isotopic applications. Large-scale gas separation techniques, like gas centrifugation and membrane mitigation, can be problematic as they impart tremendous energy and induce high mechanical stress onto the instrumentation. Microsieves, also known as micronozzles or microfunnels, are developed to create physical barriers to separate specific isotopes and gases. Separation is achieved using a converging and diverging micronozzle to impose supersonic gas flow around a curved wall, and it has been used for the separation of heavy actinide isotopes in low weight gas as well as separation of low weight gas compositions of nitrogen and argon back in 1900s. However, systematic reviews of this unique technology are lacking. The application of the Laval style nozzle, which has a converging/diverging entrance fundamental to the micronozzle, is included in this review due to its importance in industrial applications in uranium (U) isotope refinement. Using advanced computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations, the extent of gas separation can be modelled. Herein, we first examine the literature and survey recent advances on fabrication techniques for creating curved micronozzles, methods and separation principles used to design devices. We then follow with highlights of CFD simulations applied to evaluate the separation effects using microsieves. Finally, identification of the gap and recommendation for future development and applications are suggested for using intrinsic molecular features and fluidic dynamics in formulating separation strategies.
{"title":"Dynamic separation of gases using microsieves","authors":"Jiyoung Son, Gabriel D. Parker, Xiao-Ying Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Separation of light weight molecules, such as nitrogen, argon, and oxygen, from heavier compounds can have significant impacts on energy capture, environmental monitoring, or isotopic applications. Large-scale gas separation techniques, like gas centrifugation and membrane mitigation, can be problematic as they impart tremendous energy and induce high mechanical stress onto the instrumentation. Microsieves, also known as micronozzles or microfunnels, are developed to create physical barriers to separate specific isotopes and gases. Separation is achieved using a converging and diverging micronozzle to impose supersonic gas flow around a curved wall, and it has been used for the separation of heavy actinide isotopes in low weight gas as well as separation of low weight gas compositions of nitrogen and argon back in 1900s. However, systematic reviews of this unique technology are lacking. The application of the Laval style nozzle, which has a converging/diverging entrance fundamental to the micronozzle, is included in this review due to its importance in industrial applications in uranium (U) isotope refinement. Using advanced computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations, the extent of gas separation can be modelled. Herein, we first examine the literature and survey recent advances on fabrication techniques for creating curved micronozzles, methods and separation principles used to design devices. We then follow with highlights of CFD simulations applied to evaluate the separation effects using microsieves. Finally, identification of the gap and recommendation for future development and applications are suggested for using intrinsic molecular features and fluidic dynamics in formulating separation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117439"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117436
M. Siva Kumar , Sushree Bedamati , R. Arun Kumar , M. Ramudu , Mitrabhanu Behera , Przemyslaw Wozny , Marcin Runowski
Background
The research on luminescence thermometry is mobilizing rapidly due to its advantages. Especially rare-earth-doped phosphors attract more attention with their efficiency in luminescence. Yb/Er co-doped LiYF4 has strong ability in luminescence, and owing to its distinct material properties, it is studied for thermometry as well as radiation detection. The advantages of optical thermometry are realized for precise temperature measurements where conventional techniques fail. In addition, near-infrared detection has gained importance to avoid eye accidents.
Method
An eco-friendly and self-propagating microwave-assisted combustion route was adapted to prepare micro-phosphors. The luminescence performance of this phosphor was studied by varying concentration and temperature.
Significant Findings
Prepared phosphor exhibited both upconversion and anti-Stokes phenomena. The upconversion luminescence was immensely enhanced at a cryogenic temperature compared with room temperature. The fluorescence intensity modes of non-identical ions have unleashed the highest relative sensitivity of 1.19 and 2.48 %K−1, respectively. Interestingly, ever-greater absolute sensitivity of 2.406 K−1 was produced by this phosphor through the fluorescence intensity ratio. A simple, hand-held device has been developed to detect near-infrared radiation. The luminescence properties of LiYF4: Yb/Er phosphor exhibited its ingenuity in the precise sensing of near-infrared radiation and temperature.
{"title":"Luminescence mining via energy transfer upconversion and anti-Stokes emission in Er, Yb: LiYF4: Thermometry and NIR detection applications","authors":"M. Siva Kumar , Sushree Bedamati , R. Arun Kumar , M. Ramudu , Mitrabhanu Behera , Przemyslaw Wozny , Marcin Runowski","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117436","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117436","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The research on luminescence thermometry is mobilizing rapidly due to its advantages. Especially rare-earth-doped phosphors attract more attention with their efficiency in luminescence. Yb/Er co-doped LiYF<sub>4</sub> has strong ability in luminescence, and owing to its distinct material properties, it is studied for thermometry as well as radiation detection. The advantages of optical thermometry are realized for precise temperature measurements where conventional techniques fail. In addition, near-infrared detection has gained importance to avoid eye accidents.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>An eco-friendly and self-propagating microwave-assisted combustion route was adapted to prepare micro-phosphors. The luminescence performance of this phosphor was studied by varying concentration and temperature.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>Prepared phosphor exhibited both upconversion and anti-Stokes phenomena. The upconversion luminescence was immensely enhanced at a cryogenic temperature compared with room temperature. The fluorescence intensity modes of non-identical ions have unleashed the highest relative sensitivity of 1.19 and 2.48 %K<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Interestingly, ever-greater absolute sensitivity of 2.406 K<sup>−1</sup> was produced by this phosphor through the fluorescence intensity ratio. A simple, hand-held device has been developed to detect near-infrared radiation. The luminescence properties of LiYF<sub>4</sub>: Yb/Er phosphor exhibited its ingenuity in the precise sensing of near-infrared radiation and temperature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117436"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117428
Xin Li , Huifang Liu , Quan Liang , Luyao Zhao , Chuanming Sun , Chunye Hou
Flexible pressure sensors serve as critical interfaces bridging physical interactions and digital information, showing significant potential in wearable health monitoring, robotics, and human-machine interaction. However, conventional rigid sensors suffer from high interfacial impedance, motion artifacts, and limited flexibility, restricting their use on curved and dynamically deforming surfaces. This study develops a flexible pressure sensor integrating high sensitivity, excellent flexibility, and reliable stability. Through synergistic design of materials and structure, we fabricated highly conductive silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes via electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing (600 V, 0.15 μL/min, 800 mm/s), achieving a sheet resistance below 0.8 Ω/sq. A ternary composite dielectric layer (MXene/MWCNTs/PDMS, optimal mass ratio 1:2:10) was constructed, leveraging MXene's interfacial polarization and MWCNTs’ bridging effect to establish efficient multi-scale conductive pathways. The sensor demonstrates a sensitivity of 0.78 kPa⁻¹ (0–1 kPa), response time < 50 ms, and signal-to-noise ratio of 32.6 dB (0.5–100 Hz), outperforming commercial rigid sensors by 41 %. It exhibits excellent mechanical stability, with less than 2.5 % signal variation after 5000 bending cycles (3 mm radius) and 10 % stretching. Practical applications in knee motion monitoring (R² = 0.99, 30°–90°), plantar pressure mapping, and respiratory waveform acquisition with minimal baseline drift (<50 μV) validate its performance. This work provides an effective strategy for balancing sensitivity, flexibility, and signal quality in flexible sensors, supporting future wearable devices and intelligent systems. Future efforts will focus on long-term stability in complex environments and scalable manufacturing.
{"title":"Design of a high-performance flexible pressure sensor based on AgNWs-MXene/MWCNTs composites and its multi-scenario application study","authors":"Xin Li , Huifang Liu , Quan Liang , Luyao Zhao , Chuanming Sun , Chunye Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flexible pressure sensors serve as critical interfaces bridging physical interactions and digital information, showing significant potential in wearable health monitoring, robotics, and human-machine interaction. However, conventional rigid sensors suffer from high interfacial impedance, motion artifacts, and limited flexibility, restricting their use on curved and dynamically deforming surfaces. This study develops a flexible pressure sensor integrating high sensitivity, excellent flexibility, and reliable stability. Through synergistic design of materials and structure, we fabricated highly conductive silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes via electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing (600 V, 0.15 μL/min, 800 mm/s), achieving a sheet resistance below 0.8 Ω/sq. A ternary composite dielectric layer (MXene/MWCNTs/PDMS, optimal mass ratio 1:2:10) was constructed, leveraging MXene's interfacial polarization and MWCNTs’ bridging effect to establish efficient multi-scale conductive pathways. The sensor demonstrates a sensitivity of 0.78 kPa⁻¹ (0–1 kPa), response time < 50 ms, and signal-to-noise ratio of 32.6 dB (0.5–100 Hz), outperforming commercial rigid sensors by 41 %. It exhibits excellent mechanical stability, with less than 2.5 % signal variation after 5000 bending cycles (3 mm radius) and 10 % stretching. Practical applications in knee motion monitoring (R² = 0.99, 30°–90°), plantar pressure mapping, and respiratory waveform acquisition with minimal baseline drift (<50 μV) validate its performance. This work provides an effective strategy for balancing sensitivity, flexibility, and signal quality in flexible sensors, supporting future wearable devices and intelligent systems. Future efforts will focus on long-term stability in complex environments and scalable manufacturing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117428"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117434
Shreyas Inamdar , Alireza Sargordi , Tanzila Kamal Choity , Anahita Emami , Jun Young Kim , Hong-Gu Kang , Namwon Kim
Reliable thin-film heaters that provide rapid and uniform heating are critical for point-of-care molecular diagnostics. In this work, we present the additive manufacturing of electrothermal thin-film heaters that are directly integrated with an on-chip chamber. This configuration enables isothermal amplification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in a portable and compact platform. Two additive processes were compared. The first was a five-layer inkjet-printed (5L-I) heater, optimized using a 10 min oxygen plasma treatment and a 40 °C substrate (0.5 % uncoverage at five layers). The second was a single-layer direct ink writing (DIW) printed heater (1L-D) with conformal coverage. Infrared (IR) thermography showed quadratic voltage–temperature scaling for both heaters. The 1L-D heater achieved ∼1.7 times higher maximum temperature and faster heating/cooling rates, consistent with lower resistance and higher conductivity. Long-duration thermal assessments confirmed that the 1L-D heaters sustained stable temperatures over 60 min (79.5–81.9 °C at 3 V; CV < 1 %), demonstrating high reproducibility and reliable performance for continuous isothermal operation. Under water-filled chamber conditions, the 1L-D heater maintained uniform in-plane temperatures (59.3–62.5 °C at 3 V; CV < 1.02 %), outperforming the 5L-I heater (CV ≈ 3 %). Parallel Loop-mediated isothermal amplifications (LAMP) at 65 °C for 30 min were performed using both the on-chip chamber and a benchtop thermocycler. These tests produced comparable colorimetric and gel electrophoresis results for the target plasmid DNA, pNL1.2, with little amplification observed for the non-target control plasmid, pPZP-RCS2. Overall, the DIW heater provides rapid, uniform, and stable heating suitable for reliable point-of-care isothermal amplification.
{"title":"Additively manufactured electrothermal thin-film heaters for on-chip isothermal DNA amplification","authors":"Shreyas Inamdar , Alireza Sargordi , Tanzila Kamal Choity , Anahita Emami , Jun Young Kim , Hong-Gu Kang , Namwon Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117434","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117434","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reliable thin-film heaters that provide rapid and uniform heating are critical for point-of-care molecular diagnostics. In this work, we present the additive manufacturing of electrothermal thin-film heaters that are directly integrated with an on-chip chamber. This configuration enables isothermal amplification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in a portable and compact platform. Two additive processes were compared. The first was a five-layer inkjet-printed (5L-I) heater, optimized using a 10 min oxygen plasma treatment and a 40 °C substrate (0.5 % uncoverage at five layers). The second was a single-layer direct ink writing (DIW) printed heater (1L-D) with conformal coverage. Infrared (IR) thermography showed quadratic voltage–temperature scaling for both heaters. The 1L-D heater achieved ∼1.7 times higher maximum temperature and faster heating/cooling rates, consistent with lower resistance and higher conductivity. Long-duration thermal assessments confirmed that the 1L-D heaters sustained stable temperatures over 60 min (79.5–81.9 °C at 3 V; CV < 1 %), demonstrating high reproducibility and reliable performance for continuous isothermal operation. Under water-filled chamber conditions, the 1L-D heater maintained uniform in-plane temperatures (59.3–62.5 °C at 3 V; CV < 1.02 %), outperforming the 5L-I heater (CV ≈ 3 %). Parallel Loop-mediated isothermal amplifications (LAMP) at 65 °C for 30 min were performed using both the on-chip chamber and a benchtop thermocycler. These tests produced comparable colorimetric and gel electrophoresis results for the target plasmid DNA, <em>pNL1.2</em>, with little amplification observed for the non-target control plasmid, <em>pPZP-RCS2</em>. Overall, the DIW heater provides rapid, uniform, and stable heating suitable for reliable point-of-care isothermal amplification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117434"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117432
Ivan N. Unksov , Rubina Davtyan , Christelle N. Prinz , Heiner Linke
Sensitive detection of short nucleic acids is used to identify viral and bacterial diseases, detect biomarkers of cancer, as well as in gene expression studies. Currently available techniques such as PCR, electrochemical detection and SPR are typically costly and often require amplification of the DNA. Here, we demonstrate a sensing system for picomolar detection of short single-stranded DNA by fluorescence without any need for amplification, thermal cycling and expensive reagents. The platform harnesses the capability of waveguiding semiconductor nanowires to substantially enhance the signal of surface-bound fluorescent molecules. Employing molecular beacons based on DNA-templated silver nanoclusters that exhibit a larger signal in the presence of the target DNA, we improve the limit of detection by five orders of magnitude compared to flat substrates and demonstrate detection of HIV-1 DNA. The signal indicates single-molecule sensitivity of detection. Our sensor is easily adaptable for other short DNA and potentially can be mass-produced. The method requires only a small volume of analyte sample and a microscope for the detection of fluorescence on nanowires.
{"title":"Nanowire-based biosensor for short DNA using fluorescent silver nanoclusters","authors":"Ivan N. Unksov , Rubina Davtyan , Christelle N. Prinz , Heiner Linke","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sensitive detection of short nucleic acids is used to identify viral and bacterial diseases, detect biomarkers of cancer, as well as in gene expression studies. Currently available techniques such as PCR, electrochemical detection and SPR are typically costly and often require amplification of the DNA. Here, we demonstrate a sensing system for picomolar detection of short single-stranded DNA by fluorescence without any need for amplification, thermal cycling and expensive reagents. The platform harnesses the capability of waveguiding semiconductor nanowires to substantially enhance the signal of surface-bound fluorescent molecules. Employing molecular beacons based on DNA-templated silver nanoclusters that exhibit a larger signal in the presence of the target DNA, we improve the limit of detection by five orders of magnitude compared to flat substrates and demonstrate detection of HIV-1 DNA. The signal indicates single-molecule sensitivity of detection. Our sensor is easily adaptable for other short DNA and potentially can be mass-produced. The method requires only a small volume of analyte sample and a microscope for the detection of fluorescence on nanowires.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117432"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117435
Firdous Ahmad Deader , Abdulrahman Agha , Ahsanulhaq Qurashi , Mahmoud Al-Qutayri , Vincent Chan , Gulfaraz Khan , Pretty Philip , Anas Alazzam , Moh’d Rezeq
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) serves as the fundamental genetic blueprint for all living organisms, with each species possessing a distinct DNA sequence that is passed down to subsequent generations. The detection of DNA is crucial for identifying and diagnosing human diseases, particularly infectious diseases. Owing to specific molecular interactions between DNA and nanomaterials, nanostructured platforms can effectively facilitate DNA recognition and detection. In this study, a field-effect DNA biosensor was designed and fabricated using a perfectly assembled two-dimensional monolayer of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) as the active sensing medium, positioned between two metal electrodes separated by a 100 μm gap on a silicon oxide surface. The biosensor demonstrated the capability to differentiate between DNA molecules based on their net charge, which varies with the sequence composition and strand length. Interactions between DNA molecules and the Au-NP monolayer induced measurable changes in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, which were transduced into electrical signals for sensing. To quantify the sensitivity of the biosensor, synthetic DNA oligonucleotides were first employed. The AT-rich and GC-rich sequences yielded sensitivities of 0.268 mA·decade⁻¹ and 0.223 mA·decade⁻¹ , respectively, corresponding to the limit of detection values of 1.23 μM for Oligo 1 and 1.28 μM for Oligo 2. The device was subsequently validated using DNA samples extracted from human Burkitt’s lymphoma cell line BL30 and its Epstein-Barr virus-infected counterpart BL30-B95.8. These results demonstrate the potential of this Au-NP monolayer-based field-effect sensor for rapid, label-free, and selective DNA detection in clinical diagnostics.
{"title":"Label-free and rapid DNA characterization using gold nanoparticle monolayer-based field-effect sensors","authors":"Firdous Ahmad Deader , Abdulrahman Agha , Ahsanulhaq Qurashi , Mahmoud Al-Qutayri , Vincent Chan , Gulfaraz Khan , Pretty Philip , Anas Alazzam , Moh’d Rezeq","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117435","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) serves as the fundamental genetic blueprint for all living organisms, with each species possessing a distinct DNA sequence that is passed down to subsequent generations. The detection of DNA is crucial for identifying and diagnosing human diseases, particularly infectious diseases. Owing to specific molecular interactions between DNA and nanomaterials, nanostructured platforms can effectively facilitate DNA recognition and detection. In this study, a field-effect DNA biosensor was designed and fabricated using a perfectly assembled two-dimensional monolayer of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) as the active sensing medium, positioned between two metal electrodes separated by a 100 μm gap on a silicon oxide surface. The biosensor demonstrated the capability to differentiate between DNA molecules based on their net charge, which varies with the sequence composition and strand length. Interactions between DNA molecules and the Au-NP monolayer induced measurable changes in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, which were transduced into electrical signals for sensing. To quantify the sensitivity of the biosensor, synthetic DNA oligonucleotides were first employed. The AT-rich and GC-rich sequences yielded sensitivities of 0.268 mA·decade⁻¹ and 0.223 mA·decade⁻¹ , respectively, corresponding to the limit of detection values of 1.23 μM for Oligo 1 and 1.28 μM for Oligo 2. The device was subsequently validated using DNA samples extracted from human Burkitt’s lymphoma cell line BL30 and its Epstein-Barr virus-infected counterpart BL30-B95.8. These results demonstrate the potential of this Au-NP monolayer-based field-effect sensor for rapid, label-free, and selective DNA detection in clinical diagnostics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117435"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-25DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117431
Jiayi Su , Cunao Feng , Yuxia Wang, Yu Guo, Xinyue Zhang, Kai Chen, Xiaowei Li, Dekun Zhang
Traditional TENG (Triboelectric Nanogenerator) research has primarily focused on static loads, limiting their applicability of multimodal composite dynamic loads in practical operating conditions. Therefore, this study centers on the performance and response mechanisms of encapsulated TENGs under multimodal dynamic loads, optimizing TENG structure and performance by using Fe₃O₄-doped MWCNTs-PDMS as the friction layer and encapsulation material. The fabricated TENG demonstrates outstanding performance under both static and dynamic loads, with its output voltage exhibiting a strong linear relationship with both frequency and load. A linear fit accuracy (R²) of up to 98.18 % was achieved under specific conditions. The study indicates that the displacement of the encapsulated TENG correlates well with voltage, with normal signal transmission, and exhibits excellent environmental adaptability, sensitivity, and durability, offering broad application prospects in industrial monitoring and intelligent systems. The TENG device developed in this study shows great potential as a core sensing unit for predictive maintenance systems in engineering applications involving vibrational environments. It is expected to advance fields such as intelligent monitoring and human-machine interaction toward higher sensitivity and broader detection ranges.
{"title":"Study on the response mechanism and performance of packaged TENG sensors under multimodal dynamic loads","authors":"Jiayi Su , Cunao Feng , Yuxia Wang, Yu Guo, Xinyue Zhang, Kai Chen, Xiaowei Li, Dekun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional TENG (Triboelectric Nanogenerator) research has primarily focused on static loads, limiting their applicability of multimodal composite dynamic loads in practical operating conditions. Therefore, this study centers on the performance and response mechanisms of encapsulated TENGs under multimodal dynamic loads, optimizing TENG structure and performance by using Fe₃O₄-doped MWCNTs-PDMS as the friction layer and encapsulation material. The fabricated TENG demonstrates outstanding performance under both static and dynamic loads, with its output voltage exhibiting a strong linear relationship with both frequency and load. A linear fit accuracy (R²) of up to 98.18 % was achieved under specific conditions. The study indicates that the displacement of the encapsulated TENG correlates well with voltage, with normal signal transmission, and exhibits excellent environmental adaptability, sensitivity, and durability, offering broad application prospects in industrial monitoring and intelligent systems. The TENG device developed in this study shows great potential as a core sensing unit for predictive maintenance systems in engineering applications involving vibrational environments. It is expected to advance fields such as intelligent monitoring and human-machine interaction toward higher sensitivity and broader detection ranges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117431"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-25DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2025.117419
Kirill Poletkin
A semi-analytical methodology for comprehensive modeling of electro-mechanical characteristics and stability of inductive Levitating Micro-system Actuators (LMA) is reported hereby. The essence of the proposed methodology is based on replacing the real designs of LMA with their filament twins. In turn, the filament twin is approximated by filament geometrical primitives. As an illustrative example the developed methodology was applied to the axially symmetric designs of LMAs, for which circles were employed as geometrical primitives. As a result, the set of LMA’s electromechanical characteristics at equilibrium as well as functions of deflection of a levitating proof mass and electric current in coils were calculated by using two calculation schemes. Also, the proposed methodology was applied to solve optimization tasks. In particular, the optimal coil arrangement that maximizes the levitation force acting on the conducting micro-disc was determined, along with the electro-mechanical operating parameters that support the maximum lateral stiffness. The results of calculations were validated by comparing them with experimental and simulation results and show a good agreement with each other.
{"title":"A semi-analytical method for comprehensive modeling of inductive levitating micro-system actuators: characterization and optimization","authors":"Kirill Poletkin","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117419","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.117419","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A semi-analytical methodology for comprehensive modeling of electro-mechanical characteristics and stability of inductive Levitating Micro-system Actuators (LMA) is reported hereby. The essence of the proposed methodology is based on replacing the real designs of LMA with their filament twins. In turn, the filament twin is approximated by filament geometrical primitives. As an illustrative example the developed methodology was applied to the axially symmetric designs of LMAs, for which circles were employed as geometrical primitives. As a result, the set of LMA’s electromechanical characteristics at equilibrium as well as functions of deflection of a levitating proof mass and electric current in coils were calculated by using two calculation schemes. Also, the proposed methodology was applied to solve optimization tasks. In particular, the optimal coil arrangement that maximizes the levitation force acting on the conducting micro-disc was determined, along with the electro-mechanical operating parameters that support the maximum lateral stiffness. The results of calculations were validated by comparing them with experimental and simulation results and show a good agreement with each other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 117419"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}