size matters problems and advantages associated with highly miniaturized sensors规模很重要问题和优势与高度相关的小型传感器.pdfVIP

Sensors 2012, 12, 3018-3036; doi:10.3390/s120303018 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Review Size Matters: Problems and Advantages Associated with Highly Miniaturized Sensors Andreas B. Dahlin Division of Bionanophotonics, Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Fysikgränd 3, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden; E-Mail: adahlin@chalmers.se; Tel.: +46-3177-23228; Fax: +46-3177-22090 Received: 20 January 2012; in revised form: 23 February 2012 / Accepted: 23 February 2012 / Published: 6 March 2012 Abstract: There is no doubt that the recent advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to realize a great variety of new sensors with signal transduction mechanisms utilizing physical phenomena at the nanoscale. Some examples are conductivity measurements in nanowires, deflection of cantilevers and spectroscopy of plasmonic nanoparticles. The fact that these techniques are based on the special properties of nanostructural entities provides for extreme sensor miniaturization since a single structural unit often can be used as transducer. This review discusses the advantages and problems with such small sensors, with focus on biosensing applications and label-free real-time analysis of liquid samples. Many aspects of sensor design are considered, such as thermodynamic and diffusion aspects on binding kinetics