Methyltrimethoxysilane-insulated piezoelectric microcantilevers for direct, all-electrical biodetection in buffered aqueous solutions

We have examined coating (PbMg1∕3Nb2∕3O3)0.63–(PbTiO3)0.37 (PMN-PT)/tin piezoelectric microcantilever sensors (PEMSs) with a thin methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) by a simple solution method to electrically insulate the PEMS for biodetection in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solutions. The PMN-PT/tin PEMSs were constructed using PMN-PT freestanding films that exhibited an electric-field-enhanced giant piezoelectric coefficient. The insulation procedure involved spin coatings of MTMS followed by cross-linking in water, which yielded a coating layer of about 10nm in thickness on the tin side of the PEMS. We showed that the MTMS-insulated PMN-PT/tin PEMSs were capable of electrical self-excitation and self-sensing with a stable resonance spectrum exhibiting a quality factor of Q=50 when submerged in 0.1M PBS solution. Direct, all-electrical, in situ detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 at various concentrations was demonstrated at a flow rate of 0.5ml∕min. A MTMS-insulated PMN-PT/tin PEMS 725μm long consisting of a 22-μm-thick PMN-PT layer and a 6-μm-thick tin layer exhibited a mass detection sensitivity Δm∕Δf=−3±2×10−12g∕Hz and a concentration sensitivity of better than 100cells∕ml in less than 1ml of liquid.