title: Metal-Organic Polyhedra-Coated Si Nanowires for the Sensitive Detection of Trace Explosives.
abstract: Surface-modified silicon nanowire-based field-effect transistors (SiNW-FETs) have proven to be a promising platform for molecular recognition in miniature sensors. In this work, we present a novel nanoFET device for the sensitive and selective detection of explosives based on affinity layers of metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs). The judicious selection of the geometric and electronic characteristics of the assembly units (organic ligands and unsaturated metal site) embedded within the MOP cage allowed for the formation of multiple charge-transfer (CT) interactions to facilitate the selective explosive inclusion. Meanwhile, the host-stabilized CT complex inside the cage acted as an effective molecular gating element to strongly modulate the electrical conductance of the silicon nanowires. By grafting the MOP cages onto a SiNW-FET device, the resulting sensor showed a good electrical sensing capability to various explosives, especially 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), with a detection limit below the nanomolar level. Importantly, coupling MOPs-which have tunable structures and properties-to SiNW-based devices may open up new avenues for a wide range of sensing applications, addressing various target analytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology , Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Molecular NanoFabrication Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente , P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong , Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.|Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne , Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Philips Research Laboratories, High Tech Campus 4, 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Klootwijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology , Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ernst J R
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sudhölter
authors.affiliation: Molecular NanoFabrication Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente , P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jurriaan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huskens
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology , Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.|Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University & Research , Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louis C P M
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: de Smet
mesh_terms: D056831:Coordination Complexes / Q000737:chemistry*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014173:Transistors, Electronic; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D056831:Coordination Complexes; D053834:Explosive Agents; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; D012825:Silicon
keywords: Silicon nanowire-based field-effect transistor; charge-transfer interaction; explosives detection; metal−organic polyhedra; molecular recognition