An overview of biomimetic optoelectronic noses based on various biological sensing materials and surface plasmon resonance imaging

Abstract

Inspired by mammalian olfactory system, electronic noses (eNs) are promising alternatives for the reliable and rapid analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). As for sensing materials, so far the materials most often used are inorganic or organic. Nevertheless, various biological materials are emerging in recent studies such as peptides, hairpin DNA, peptide nanostructures, etc. Concerning transduction system, surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is particularly interesting for eN development. Since this technique allows to monitoring binding events in label-free and real-time by providing temporal responses with kinetic information, with capacity for simultaneous detection on a multiplexed sensor array. Therefore, the combination of such a detection system with novel biological sensing materials could lead to the development of original biomimetic optoelectronic noses with improved performances in terms of sensitivity and selectivity.