Carbon Nanotubes as Biosensors

 


A huge research collaboration involving carbon nanotubes is going on right now. Ruhr University has two groups collaborating on this research.

Carbon nanotubes are single walled. They are found to be the building blocks of biosensors. The surface of carbon nanotubes can be chemically altered with DNA fragments and bio polymers. They can react specifically with a certain target molecule. When these molecules bind, the nanotubes adapt their emission in the near-infrared range. 

Biological processes in which carbon nanotubes are used typically take place in water. The researchers used terahertz spectroscopy. They were able to observe how energy flows between water and carbon nanotubes. 

The water molecules that directly surround the nanotubes are critical in the hydration shell of biosensors. When a carbon nanotube is excited, the energy can couple to the movement of the hydration shell. 

Water and nanotubes have energy that flows between them. An example of this is when sensors  become brighter, because the analyte transfers less energy into the water. Alternatively, sensors that become dimmer transfer more energy into the water.

“Terahertz spectroscopy allows us to measure directly what we had previously only suspected. These insights provide a general and rational design principle to develop optimal biosensors with the best performance for novel applications in research and medicine,” Martina Havenith, a spokesperson for the study summarizes:

“In this interdisciplinary study, we did not put the spotlight on the carbon nanotube itself. Instead, we put the spotlight on the solvent, water, and discovered a previously unknown direct correlation with the changes in the water around the carbon nanotube and the function as a biosensor.”

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