Flexible Chemical Sensors Using Signal Generation from Cyclodextrin-Analyte Interactions on Polymer Composites

We present the design of a chemical sensor and study the generation of electrical signals produced by the formation of a cyclodextrin inclusion complex. Flexible poly(dimethylsiloxane)/graphene hybrid composites were used as sensor substrates and sensing media, beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) molecules were incorporated using simple bio-coupling reactions. The feasibility of sensing molecules through the formation of beta-CD/analyte inclusion complexes was investigated systematically using direct electrical measurement. The acquisition and transduction of electrical signals generated by inclusion complex formation is a central focus of this study and extensive complementary experiments were carried out to characterize this phenomenon. Because it is useful for development of a sort of sensor system, electrical measurements were performed to measure the sensitivity of this system (10 nM). However, more study is required to determine the selectivity. This article will be a useful reference for the design of versatile chemical sensors utilizing a non-toxic sensing medium on flexible composite substrates.