Graphene Nanosensors for Ubiquitous Diagnostics
2013-15 Seed Grant
Direct interfacing of nanosensors onto biomaterials could revolutionize health quality monitoring and adaptive threat detection. Graphene is capable of highly sensitive analyte detection. Here we show that the nanoscale nature of graphene allows it to be printed onto water-soluble silk. This in turn permits intimate biotransfer of graphene nanosensors onto biomaterials, including teeth, skin and food. The result is a fully interfaced sensing platform which can be tuned to detect target analytes. For example, via self-assembly of peptides onto graphene, we show bioselective detection of bacteria at single cell levels. Incorporation of a resonant coil eliminates the need for onboard power and external connections. Combining these elements yields two-tiered interfacing of peptide-graphene nanosensors with biomaterials. In particular, we demonstrate integration onto a tooth for remote monitoring of respiration and bacteria detection in saliva. This hierarchical interfacing of biomolecules with nanosensors and biomaterials represents a versatile approach for detecting biochemical targets.
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