Molecular recognition of chem/biowarfare agents using micromechanical sensors

摘要

Recent terrorists events have shown that an urgent and widespread need exists for development of novel sensors for chemical and biowarfare agents. The advent of inexpensive, mass-produced microcantilever sensors, promises to bring about a revolution in detection of terrorists threats. Extremely sensitive chem/biosensors can be developed using microcantilever platform. Both frequency and bending of microcantilevers can be used to detect the chemical and biological species in air or solution. The specificity is achieved by immobilizing chemically-specific receptors the cantilever. This short report will give an overview of chemical/biological warfare agents sensor recently developed based on microcantilevers.