Nanosensors based on polymer vesicles and planar membranes: a short review

Abstract

This review aims to summarize the advance in the field of nanosensors based on two particular materials: polymer vesicles (polymersomes) and polymer planar membranes. These two types of polymer-based structural arrangements have been shown to be efficient in the production of sensors as their features allow to adapt to different environment but also to increase the sensitivity and the selectivity of the sensing device. Polymersomes and planar polymer membranes offer a platform of choice for a wide range of chemical functionalization and characteristic structural organization which allows a convenient usage in numerous sensing applications. These materials appear as great candidates for such nanosensors considering the broad variety of polymers. They also enable the confection of robust nanosized architectures providing interesting properties for numerous applications in many domains ranging from pollution to drug monitoring. This report gives an overview of these different sensing strategies whether the nanosensors aim to detect chemicals, biological or physical signals.

Magnetic array-templated method for fabrication of polymer nanoporous films

“…Subsequently, this scaling relationship was generally confirmed in a number of experimental studies and theoretical models [10][11][12][13][14][15], although there was no agreement on the value of power-law exponent (α). The predicted α=0.33 was found [10] to be a reasonable approximation for thin films (L=100 μ), while for the thicker films (L>100 μ) α≈0.5 [9] or even α≈1 [15] were obtained. These studies also confirmed that λ is not sensitive to the nanoparticles volume fraction (f).…”

“…Nanoporous materials have been shown to have applications in a number of multidisciplinary fields [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Nanopores with a size ranging from 1 nm to 100 nm have been widely used in recent years as highly sensitive sensors that can detect various molecules, biospecies and nanoparticles in aqueous solution.…”

“…The popular applications include biofiltration, immunoisolation, and drug delivery [3]. Nanoporous polymeric materials have also received much attention as materials of choice in smart applications [8], in particular as sensors for environmental control and monitoring [9] as well as in controlled release systems [7]. Contemporary fabrication of nanostructured polymers is often based on photolithography, nanoimprint pattern-transfer, block copolymer self-assembly, track etching, and solvent-based formation [4][5][6].…”

Brushing the surface: cascade reactions between immobilized nanoreactors

“…22 Moreover, polymer-based nano-objects have the advantage of structural versatility of their components allowing variations in responsive properties, as well as permitting the incorporation of a wide variety of functional end groups. [23][24][25] Polymer nano-compartments serve to create nanoreactors as ideal candidates for the development of reactions at the nanoscale by encapsulation of active molecules inside. 21,26,27 The reactions take place inside the cavities of the compartments, where the active molecules are protected from the environment and perform their activity.…”

Dye-sensitized TiO2 nanotube membranes act as a visible-light switchable diffusion gate

“…Gating of nanoscale ow-through devices has received major attention in the eld of system engineering for controlled "diffusion" applications, for example in drug-delivery, bioseparation, and sensing applications. [1][2][3][4][5] It is important in such devices that nanochannels are reversibly gated, i.e., they can be switched between an open ("on") and closed ("off") state in response to an external stimulus (e.g. voltage, pH, or temperature variation).…”