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We report an electrochemically fabricated silicon oxide nanoporous structure for ultrasensitive detection of AfB1 in food by shift in peak frequency corresponding to maximum sensitivity. It has been observed that the impedance sensitivity changes from 19% to 40% (which is only twice) where as the peak frequency shifts from 500 Hz to 50 kHz, for a change in concentration from 1 fg/ml to 1 pg/ml. This has been attributed to the combined effect of the significant pore narrowing with increasing AfB1 concentration and the opposing nature of impedance change within the nanopores and the conducting substrate immediately below the nanoporous layer.

Quantum dots (QD) are rapidly making their way into several application sectors including optoelectronics, and there is a strong need to focus on non-toxic QDs. In this work, we have synthesized graphene QDs in the size range of 1.4 nm to 4.2 nm from inexpensive graphite by oxidative cleavage using a sulphuric and nitric acid mixture. A subsequent hydrogen peroxide oxidation step, investigated using two thermal budgets, has resulted in QDs with excellent photoluminescence (PL) intensity. Prolonged, higher temperature oxidation results in smaller size GQDs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the role of •OH radicals in the oxidation process and Raman analysis revealed that the higher thermal budget oxidation results in lower defect density. To overcome the challenges in device adaptability due to the inherent acidity in the QDs, a post-synthesis neutralization process was devised. The neutralized GQDs were formed into a film to be used as the active layer in a photodetector device. Fluorescence decay analysis showed there is no significant change in lifetime because of the film formation process. The fabricated GQD photodetector device exhibited high photocurrent under ultraviolet illumination with an ON/OFF ratio of 400% at an applied bias of ± 1 V. The device performance underlines the high potential for the non-toxic, top-down synthesized GQDs for application in optoelectronic devices.

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Nanostructured silicon oxide impedance biosensors with ordered nanopores promise highly sensitive and selective label-free electrical detection of biomolecules through unique frequency-dependent sensitivity characteristics. Despite these promising experimental results, the fundamental mechanisms controlling the frequency-dependent phenomena and hence the design considerations have not been explored. In this paper, we consistently model the fluid and the solid regions of the sensors and discuss the design issues with respect to the pore dimensions for enhancing the sensitivity, selectivity, and repeatability toward detection of ultralow and moderate concentration of target biomolecules. The simulation results have been validated with experiments. The results indicate that the optimal design of nanoporous silicon oxide biosensors is different from the conventional idea of increasing the surface-to-volume ratio of such sensors. Instead, the design approach is nontrivial and the optimum pore dimensions are dependent on the target biomolecule charge, concentration, and distribution. It has been observed that a figure of merit is essential to design such sensors with improved commercial viability.Index Terms-Device and Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) models, impedance biosensors, localized charge distribution, nanoporous silicon oxide, notch-type frequency response, Q-factor.