Highly ordered nanowire arrays on plastic substrates for ultrasensitive flexible chemical sensors
Open accessAbstract
The development of a robust method for integrating high-performance semiconductors on flexible plastics could enable exciting avenues in fundamental research and novel applications. One area of vital relevance is chemical and biological sensing, which if implemented on biocompatible substrates, could yield breakthroughs in implantable or wearable monitoring systems. Semiconducting nanowires (and nanotubes) are particularly sensitive chemical sensors because of their high surface-to-volume ratios. Here, we present a scalable and parallel process for transferring hundreds of pre-aligned silicon nanowires onto plastic to yield highly ordered films for low-power sensor chips. The nanowires are excellent field-effect transistors, and, as sensors, exhibit parts-per-billion sensitivity to NO2, a hazardous pollutant. We also use SiO2 surface chemistries to construct a 'nano-electronic nose' library, which can distinguish acetone and hexane vapours via distributed responses. The excellent sensing performance coupled with bendable plastic could open up opportunities in portable, wearable or even implantable sensors.
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Wearable sensor technologies are essential for personalized medicine through continuous monitoring of an individual's health.
“Wearable sensor technologies are essential to the realization of personalized medicine through continuously monitoring an individual's state of health1–12.”
From Fully integrated wearable sensor arrays for multiplexed in situ perspiration analysis (2016) · cites this paper as [5]
The Abstract (p. 1) says flexible chemical and biological sensors could enable wearable monitoring systems. It does not establish that wearable sensors are essential to personalized medicine or that they continuously monitor an individual's health; those claims are stronger and more specific than the paper's proposed application. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWearable sweat sensors address the limitation of traditional sweat testing by enabling in situ sweat measurements with real-time feedback, creating potential for preventive care, timely diagnosis, and treatment.
“By taking advantage of flexible and hybrid electronics (13–17), wearable sweat sensors address this limitation by enabling in situ sweat measurements with real-time feedback, creating potential for preventive care, timely diagnosis, and treatment (18–34).”
From Regional and correlative sweat analysis using high-throughput microfluidic sensing patches toward decoding sweat (2019) · cites this paper as [16]
The Abstract (p. 1) proposes flexible sensors for possible wearable monitoring, while Flexible Nanowire Vapour Sensors (pp. 4–5) describes tests with NO₂, acetone and hexane vapours. Our copy does not address traditional sweat testing, in situ sweat measurement, real-time feedback or the stated care benefits (searched: sweat sensing, traditional sweat testing, preventive care). In the printed sentence, this paper appears relevant to the earlier flexible-electronics citation group, not the later sweat-sensor claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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- Authors
- McAlpine, M. C., Ahmad, H., Wang, D., & Heath, J. R.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Heath, James R.
- Venue
- Nature Materials
- Published
- 2007-04-22
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 379-384
- ISSN
- 1476-1122 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4660
- PMC
- PMC3695594
- OpenAlex
- W2161552938
- Cited by
- 959
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 64 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 73 · 2015: 72 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 89 · 2012: 81
- FWCI
- 39.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Materials (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5u54ca119347-03)
- National Cancer Institute (5U54 CA119347, U54-CA119347)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Nanowire Synthesis and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Keywords
- silicon nanowires, nanowire arrays, plastic substrates, field-effect transistors, NO2 gas sensing, gas sensors, nanowire transfer, wearable sensors, implantable sensors
- MeSH terms
- Chemistry Techniques, Analytical, Plastics, Semiconductors, Silicon, Biosensing Techniques, Nanowires
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