Flexible Approach to Sensors Arrays Nanopatterning for Real-Time Water Contaminants Monitoring Platform

摘要

This paper reports on the development of a flexible nanopatterning approach using the NanoeNabler to manufacture miniaturised sensor arrays platform for real-time water quality assessment. Traditionally biosensors are fabricated by lithography, screen printing, inkjet printing, spin- or deep-coating methods to immobilize the sensing element onto substrate pre-pattemed with electrodes. NanoeNablerTM patterning method is benchmarked against other currently adapted approaches for cost-effective sensors arrays manufacture. Sensors measuring ~1 μm diameter or more can be patterned for further employment in molecularly imprinted polymer structures. Notably, the dimensions of the sensor depend on the fluid being patterned and on the interaction forces between the substrate and the patterning tool. Thus, careful selecting of patterning parameters is vital for repeatable and controlled manufacture of sensors to guarantee superior sensitivity. The reported nanopatterning method is capable of accurately placing attoliter to femtoliter volumes of liquids, including proteins and DNAs, onto any substrate, thus making it an ideal technology for biomedical sensors. A custom-made 1 cm~2 silicon wafer with 48 interdigited electrodes sensor heads was used as a platform for the multi-sensor array with potential use in a wide range of realtime monitoring applications.