Yuhuan Qin , Wenxue Sun , Joseph Brake , Sulin Gao , Qianqian Li , Xinrong Zhu , Jiang Bian , Xiaobin Wu
{"title":"A novel colorimetric lead ion detection method using lead-2′3-dimercaptosuccinic acid chelates to catalyze etching of gold nanostars","authors":"Yuhuan Qin , Wenxue Sun , Joseph Brake , Sulin Gao , Qianqian Li , Xinrong Zhu , Jiang Bian , Xiaobin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100351","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100351","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lead ions are an environmental pollutant and a threat to human health. Traditional methods for detecting lead ions suffer disadvantages such as being time-consuming and expensive, therefore there is a need to develop simpler and faster methods. We developed an optimized spectroscopic method to detect lead ions by first identifying a lead-specific chelator 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) which was screened using a novel biological screening system and verified by metal chromophore assays. Synthetic gold nanostars (GNSs) were explored for use as probes and we found that DMSA-Pb chelates catalyzed the etching of GNSs in solution resulting in a color change. We observed a change in the longitudinal local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of GNSs in the presence of DMSA-Pb which could be measured in subsequent experiments. The optimized etching reaction displayed strong sensitivity and selectivity for Pb<sup>2+</sup> and achieved a detection limit of 2 nM less than 2 min, which is well below the safety threshold of Pb<sup>2+</sup> in environmental water and food. The Pb<sup>2+</sup> contents of rice, beans, milk, grapes, peaches, and cabbage were detected by the DMSA-Pb GNSs method and were consistent with those of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our study provides a novel and practical approach for rapid, safe, and cost-effective detection of lead ions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100351"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144331515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Małgorzata Szczerska , Kacper Cierpiak , Monika Kosowska , Paweł Wityk , Sebastián García-Galán , Patryk Sokołowski , Sylwia Fudala-Książek , Michał T. Tomczak , Bei Ye , Aneta Łuczkiewicz
{"title":"Remote real-time wastewater surveillance by the optical sensor supported by machine learning","authors":"Małgorzata Szczerska , Kacper Cierpiak , Monika Kosowska , Paweł Wityk , Sebastián García-Galán , Patryk Sokołowski , Sylwia Fudala-Książek , Michał T. Tomczak , Bei Ye , Aneta Łuczkiewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a remote monitoring sewage system based on optical method is presented for the first time. The built-in wastewater surveillance system can perform autonomous monitoring with no requirement of sample collection and its transport to the laboratory. The measurement results can be obtained in real time, the work operation allows continuous or on-demand mode. The study includes design, development and application of a biofunctionalized fiber-optic sensor, as well as engaging machine learning algorithms for measured signals classification. The validated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies sensor has a measurement range of 10<sup>−12</sup> mg/mL to 10<sup>−1</sup> mg/mL. Known concentrations of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) from 10<sup>−6</sup> mg/mL to 10<sup>−1</sup> mg/mL were added to the tested wastewater samples and then detected by the prepared optical probe. The data obtained were then processed and classified by traditional method and selected machine learning algorithms; the results obtained for the KNeighbors algorithm are Balanced Accuracy of 92.97 % and F1-score of 94.19 %. This study is of significance to establish a system that can effectively monitor the outbreak of potential infections in society.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100346"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144272385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of micro/nanoelectrodes for single-cell analysis","authors":"Congcong Zhang, Xin Du, Zhenguo Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cell analysis is crucial for studying the life activity processes of cells and revealing the mechanisms of disease occurrence and development. Micro/nanoelectrodes, with their ultrafine dimensions, exhibit significant advantages in real-time, dynamic monitoring of individual cells owing to their miniature size, high sensitivity, and enhanced spatial and temporal resolutions. At present, multiple preparation methods about micro/nanoelectrodes have been constructed to achieve sensitive detection of single-cell. However, micro/nanoelectrodes still face challenges, particularly in achieving higher sensitivity and selectivity due to the complex internal environment of single cells, the low concentration of active molecules and dynamic changes that occur within cell, and the detected substances are relatively limited. In this review, we discuss the advances and applications of micro/nanoelectrodes for real-time dynamic monitoring of single-cell nearly 10 years.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100348"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144272386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huiying Hou , Junqi Zhao , Zhengliang Zuo , Li Song , Xiao Xia Han , Jin Yang , Baofeng Xu , Bing Zhao
{"title":"SERS nanotags for ultrasensitive and dual biomarker detection of breast cancer","authors":"Huiying Hou , Junqi Zhao , Zhengliang Zuo , Li Song , Xiao Xia Han , Jin Yang , Baofeng Xu , Bing Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sensitive and simultaneous detection of breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer 2 (BRCA2) is of significance for the early diagnosis of breast cancers, but it still challenges conventional methods. Herein, we developed a novel surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based method for quantification of breast cancer biomarkers BRCA1 and BRCA2. Highly uniform SERS-active substrate is obtained by self-assembly of silver nanoparticles on a polystyrene template. Gold core silver shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles embedded with Raman probes were synthesized and used as SERS nanotags. The target genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 were detected through the capture DNA modified on the Ag chip and the probe DNA attached on the SERS nanotags. Dual detection is achieved by changing Raman probes, capture DNA and probe DNA sequences. This method exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity with a wide dynamic linear range (0.001−1000 nM). Moreover, its applicability to the detection of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in cell lysates has been proved, showing its potential application in breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100344"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Smart hydrogels with order-of-magnitude enhanced sensitivity for smartphone compass-based chemical sensing","authors":"Mark S. Ferris , Anthony Adesso , Gary Zabow","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100343","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smartphone-based platforms have the potential to provide low-cost and accessible measurement tools. A first proof-of-concept study recently introduced magnetometer-based smartphone diagnostics, which use the phone compass for signal transduction, as a complement to the numerous existing optical options, which use the phone camera. With the use of motion-amplifying bilayer hydrogel actuators to translate chemical concentrations into changes in magnetic field strengths, this new form of magnetometer-based smartphone diagnostic achieved promising sensitivity with low cost, but its ultimate sensitivity was never explored. Here, we further enhance the sensitivity of such platforms, experimentally demonstrating a quadratic dependence between bilayer length and sensitivity that yields at least an order-of-magnitude gain over the proof-of-concept to reach an estimated sensitivity of 40 µpH. The technique is demonstrated on pH hydrogel actuators, but since it requires changing only the geometry of the actuator, it can be applied universally, regardless of the target analyte. A full analytical model of sensor response is also presented, suggesting additional prospects for increasing sensitivity and control over sensor dynamic and linear ranges. Such enhancements in sensitivity expand potential applications in human health and environmental monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100343"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144184453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juhi Jannat Mim , Md. Aminul Islam , Safiullah Khan , Fardin Khan , Md. Ahadul Islam Patwary , Md. Mostafizur Rahman Arup , Nayem Hossain
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Nanomaterial-based biosensors for early detection of Mpox virus: A comprehensive analysis” [Sensors and Actuators Reports 9 (2025) 100263]","authors":"Juhi Jannat Mim , Md. Aminul Islam , Safiullah Khan , Fardin Khan , Md. Ahadul Islam Patwary , Md. Mostafizur Rahman Arup , Nayem Hossain","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100317","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100317"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144279497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Non-enzyme glucose fuel cell with anode of gold nanoparticles deposited on a nanohemisphere array of nanoimprinted polyethylene terephthalate","authors":"Trong Nghia Phan , Gou-Jen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a novel nonenzymatic glucose fuel cell (GFC) based on an anode of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) deposited on a nanohemisphere array (NHA) is proposed. The novelty of the proposed GFC is a nanostructured anode with a few AuNPs uniformly deposited on an NHA of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The NHA of PET is fabricated using nano-imprinting with a Ni mold that is electroformed using a barrier layer on an anodic aluminum oxide as a template. AuNPs are then electrochemically deposited on the surface of the NHA. The cathode consists of graphene oxide deposited on a glassy carbon electrode. A Nafion thin film acts as a proton exchange membrane to effectively separate the anode and cathode compartments. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed nonenzymatic GFC achieves a power density of 2.05 mW/cm², a current density of 5.6 mA/cm², and an open-circuit voltage of 0.66 V. Notably, the advantages of this GFC include its enzyme-free operation, ease of production, low cost, and high repeatability. Consequently, it holds significant promise for commercialization and practical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100347"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144204305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flexible wireless magnetic closure sensor: A biocompatible device for real-time biomedical applications","authors":"Runxing Lin, Ziyu Huang, Yu Liu, Bingpu Zhou, Yinning Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional sensors face significant challenges in applications such as rehabilitation training and intraoperative monitoring. These challenges include limited operational flexibility due to wired connections, insufficient conformity of rigid designs to dynamically deforming regions, difficulty in observing and quantifying organ muscle movements, and poor performance in real-time monitoring of muscle coordination patterns. To address these limitations, this study developed a flexible wireless magnetic closure sensor (FWMCS) based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. Inspired by magnetic clasp in daily life, this sensor combines real-time monitoring, wireless operation, flexible adaptability, cost-effective manufacturing, and biocompatibility, enhancing its adaptability and reliability in complex dynamic environments, including rehabilitation training and intraoperative monitoring. Experimental results demonstrated that the FWMCS performed excellently in scenarios such as joint rehabilitation training and physiological displacement monitoring. It accurately captured dynamic motion signals and enabled efficient functional assessments, showing compatibility with various rehabilitation programs. Its lightweight, modular design and elimination of the need for professional technical requirements make it suitable for home rehabilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100345"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144220952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad-Mahdi Babakhani-Fard, Mohammad Ismail Zibaii, Soroush Rostami, Hamid Latifi
{"title":"Lab on-tip fiber based on dual side hole LSPR for vitamin K1 detection","authors":"Mohammad-Mahdi Babakhani-Fard, Mohammad Ismail Zibaii, Soroush Rostami, Hamid Latifi","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, bone metabolism and diverse physiological functions. This study aims to simulate and fabricate a functional dual side hole fiber (DSHF) biosensor to Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) and multi-walled carbon nanotube/chitosan (MWCNT/Chit) nanohybrid as a lab-on-tip fiber (LOTF) for detecting vitamin K<sub>1</sub> (VK<sub>1</sub>). Label-free LOTF based on refractive index (RI) sensing was designed based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) using immobilizing CSNPs to the DSHF tip. DSHF was fabricated using chemical etching a tip of PM fiber optic. The finite element method (FEM) and experimental analysis indicate that the functionalized DSHF to CSNPs can sense the RI range of 1.3332-1.3604 RIU with extremely high RI sensitivities of <span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>S</mi><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>I</mi><mi>U</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>m</mi></mrow></msubsup><mo>∼</mo><mn>2322.84</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>n</mi><mi>m</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>R</mi><mi>I</mi><mi>U</mi></mrow></math></span> and <span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>S</mi><mrow><mi>R</mi><mi>I</mi><mi>U</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>e</mi><mi>x</mi><mi>p</mi></mrow></msubsup><mo>∼</mo><mn>2310.35</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>n</mi><mi>m</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>R</mi><mi>I</mi><mi>U</mi></mrow></math></span> respectively. The obtained limit of detection of the sensor for VK<sub>1</sub> was 1.06 × 10<sup>-5</sup> µg/l in the range of 0-10<sup>-3</sup> g/l. To evaluate the applicability of the proposed method in the actual sample, the sensor was tested in the human serum sample. The selectivity of the LOTF was measured using cholesterol, dopamine, glucose, heparin, and vitamin C (VC) as interfering elements. The extremely high sensitivity and selectivity of this optical fiber biosensor to VK<sub>1</sub> is due to a specific redox reaction between coated MWCNT/Chit nanohybrid and VK<sub>1</sub> molecules, leading to a significant increase in the dielectric function of the nanohybrid and following it the LSPR resonance wavelength of the proposed biosensor was shifted at different concentrations of VK<sub>1</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100342"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144279245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A contamination-free electrolyte-gated organic transistors platform for high-accuracy tumor biomarker detection","authors":"Jovana Babic , Alberto Ballesio , Francesca Frascella , Lucia Napione , Mattia Pagani , Matteo Parmeggiani , Simone Luigi Marasso","doi":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.snr.2025.100341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A novel biosensor platform for high-accuracy tumor biomarker detection exploiting contamination free microfluidics for increasing the signal-to-noise ratio has been successfully developed and tested. Electrolyte-gated organic Transistors (EGOT) has been employed to detect an important tumor marker, Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2). Although organic semiconductors have become popular in the last years in biosensing applications due to their many advantages, there is still a main concern about stability and selectivity. This work presents major improvement in terms of the stability and selective detection of Ang2 in the range of interest for biomedical applications. The semiconducting polymer poly[3-(5-carboxypentyl)thiophene (P3CPT) is deposited by picoliter volume control and micrometer diameter of the droplet to allow for high uniformity and repeatability from sample to sample. The optimized gold electrodes improve the detection of the minimal concentration of the target and microfluidic interfacing by a specific pattern with the desired dimensions is obtained by UV-lithography and wet etching. A microfluidics with multiple flow control allows for maintain a constant fresh solution without analytes on reference gate electrode, while another inlet and functionalized gate is used for sensing, thus reaching high stability and reproducibility. All these (four) optimizations lead to new measuring protocol and new 3D printed top cover that ensure better stabilization and repeatability of the results. The device has successfully detected Ang2 concentrations as low as 10 pM in saline, therefore demonstrating the ability of the device to detect clinically relevant concentrations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":426,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators Reports","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100341"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144167865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}