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Piezoresistive biochemical sensors based on hydrogels

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Abstract

Already 8 years ago, the usage of piezoresistive sensors for chemical measurands was proposed at the Solid State Electronics Laboratory of the Dresden University of Technology. Adding functionalised polymer coating which shows swelling due to chemical or biological values leads to a similar deflection of the thin silicon bending plate like for pressure sensors. The application of “stimuli-responsive” or “smart” cross-linked gels in chemical sensors is based on their ability to a phase transition under the influence of external excitations (pH, concentration of additives in water, temperature). Combining a “smart” hydrogel and a micro fabricated pressure sensor chip allows to continuously monitor the analyte-dependent swelling of a hydrogel and hence the analyte concentration in ambient aqueous solutions. The sensitivity of hydrogels with regard to the concentration of such additives as H+-ions (pH sensor), transition-metal ions, salts, organic solvents and proteins in water was investigated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge support of this work from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SPP 1259, grants Ge 779/14-1 and Ge 779/14-2). C. Corten is thanked for the preparation of the hydrogel samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Solid-State Electronics Laboratory, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Margarita Guenther & Gerald Gerlach

  2. Institute for Statics and Dynamics of Aerospace Structures, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 27, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany

    Thomas Wallmersperger

Authors
  1. Margarita Guenther
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  2. Gerald Gerlach
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  3. Thomas Wallmersperger
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Correspondence to Margarita Guenther.

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Guenther, M., Gerlach, G. & Wallmersperger, T. Piezoresistive biochemical sensors based on hydrogels. Microsyst Technol 16, 703–715 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-009-0978-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-009-0978-z

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