Quartz crystal microbalance in the active mode as a tool to modify sensor surface for higher selectivity and sensitivity

Oscillating quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) surface was used to increase the rates of reactions on this surface. It is demonstrated that the rate of the formation of chemisorbed monolayer increases when the surface oscillates, so the time necessary for surface modification decreases from 20 h to 20 min. During surface oscillation, the molecules bound non-specifically get detached from the surface, but more specific bonds are formed between nano-objects and the surface, which allows us to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of sensors based on affine interactions. With the help of oscillatory treatment, we carried out the separation of oligonucleotides from the mixture containing fully complementary oligonucleotides and those having mismatches. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.