Inventors: Li XL, Shashidhar R, Ma YF
Patent Title: Molecular imprinted nanosensors and process for producing same
Publication date: 2012
Publication number: US8313633

Abstract: A molecular recognition sensor system is provided incorporating a molecular imprinted nanosensor device formed by the process steps of: (a) fabricating using photolithography a pair of metallic electrodes separated by a microscale gap onto a first electrical insulation layer formed on a substrate; (b) applying a second electrical insulation layer on most of a top surface of said pairs of electrodes; (c) depositing additional metallic electrode material onto said electrode pairs using electrochemical deposition, thereby decreasing said microgap to a nano sized gap between said electrode pairs; (d) electrochemically polymerizing in said nanogap conductive monomers containing a target analyte, thereby forming a conducting polymer nanojunction in the gap between electrode pairs; and (e) immersing resultant sensor device in a solution which removes away the target analyte, and intermittently applying a voltage to the conducting polymer while it is immersed in said solution, thereby swelling and shrinking the conducting polymer to effect a more efficient extraction of target analyte from the conducting polymer.
URL: http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?FT=D&date=20110203&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP&CC=US&NR=2011024302A1&KC=A1&ND=4