(Invited) Molecular Engineering of Field-Effect Transistor-Based Biosensors

Field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors based on two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted significant attention over the last decade due to their rapid response, high sensitivity, lower limit of detection, miniaturized sensor chip, and digital readout. This talk will present a powerful approach to real-time biological sensing through molecular engineering of 2D nanomaterials in a FET platform. The working principle of the sensor is that the conductivity of 2D nanomaterial channel changes upon binding of biological species to molecular probes anchored on the nanomaterial surface. As such, the presence and the concentration of analytes (e.g., proteins, bacteria, viruses) can be determined by measuring the sensor resistance or impedance change. The talk will focus on the molecular engineering aspects of the biosensor device (e.g., engineering nanomaterial channel, molecular probe, and device passivation) through both theoretical and experimental approaches. The resulting FET platform sensing technology enables real-time detection of biological species with high sensitivity and selectivity.