08 February 2024 | Jeong-Chan Lee, Su Yeong Kim, Jayeon Song, Hyowon Jang, Min Kim, Hanul Kim, Siyoung Q. Choi, Sunjoo Kim, Pawan Jolly, Taejoon Kang, Steve Park, Donald E. Ingber
This study presents a micrometer-thick, porous nanocomposite coating for electrochemical sensors that exhibit exceptional antifouling and electroconducting properties. The coating, created using nozzle printing of an oil-in-water emulsion, consists of cross-linked albumin with interconnected pores and gold nanowires. This coating resists biofouling and maintains rapid electron transfer kinetics for over a month when exposed to complex biological fluids. Compared to thinner antifouling coatings, the thick porous nanocomposite sensor shows enhanced sensitivities by 3.75 to 17 times when detecting three different target biomolecules. The technology is demonstrated to enable simultaneous detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid, antigen, and host antibody in clinical specimens with high sensitivity and specificity. The thick porous emulsion coating technology addresses the challenges of biofouling and enhances the performance of electrochemical sensors for point-of-care diagnostics, implantable devices, and healthcare monitoring systems.This study presents a micrometer-thick, porous nanocomposite coating for electrochemical sensors that exhibit exceptional antifouling and electroconducting properties. The coating, created using nozzle printing of an oil-in-water emulsion, consists of cross-linked albumin with interconnected pores and gold nanowires. This coating resists biofouling and maintains rapid electron transfer kinetics for over a month when exposed to complex biological fluids. Compared to thinner antifouling coatings, the thick porous nanocomposite sensor shows enhanced sensitivities by 3.75 to 17 times when detecting three different target biomolecules. The technology is demonstrated to enable simultaneous detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid, antigen, and host antibody in clinical specimens with high sensitivity and specificity. The thick porous emulsion coating technology addresses the challenges of biofouling and enhances the performance of electrochemical sensors for point-of-care diagnostics, implantable devices, and healthcare monitoring systems.