Field-Effect Sensors Using Biomaterials for Chemical Sensing

After millions of years of evolution, biological chemical sensing systems (i.e., olfactory and taste systems) have become very powerful natural systems which show extreme high performances in detecting and discriminating various chemical substances. Creating field-effect sensors using biomaterials that are able to detect specific target chemical substances with high sensitivity would have broad applications in many areas, ranging from biomedicine and environments to the food industry, but this has proved extremely challenging. Over decades of intense research, field-effect sensors using biomaterials for chemical sensing have achieved significant progress and have shown promising prospects and potential applications. This review will summarize the most recent advances in the development of field-effect sensors using biomaterials for chemical sensing with an emphasis on those using functional biomaterials as sensing elements such as olfactory and taste cells and receptors. Firstly, unique principles and approaches for the development of these field-effect sensors using biomaterials will be introduced. Then, the major types of field-effect sensors using biomaterials will be presented, which includes field-effect transistor (FET), light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS), and capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensors. Finally, the current limitations, main challenges and future trends of field-effect sensors using biomaterials for chemical sensing will be proposed and discussed.

Automated summary

Biological chemical sensing systems, such as olfactory and taste systems, have evolved over millions of years to become highly powerful in detecting and discriminating various chemical substances. Developing field-effect sensors using biomaterials for chemical sensing has broad applications but is also challenging. Recent advances in this area have shown promising prospects and potential applications, although there are still limitations and challenges to address in the future.