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Ultrafast trace-level detection of methyl nicotinate biomarker using TiO2/SiNWs nanocomposite-based sensing platform

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Abstract

The reported work presents an ultrafast and ultrasensitive sensing platform for the precise and reliable trace-level detection of Methyl nicotinate (MN) leading to early stage diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB). The design and fabrication of the sensor was done using silicon nanowires (SiNWs) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles-based nanocomposite. The structural morphology and elemental analysis of the fabricated sensor were done using various characterization tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analyzer (EDA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). With a very precise limit of detection (LOD) (10 ppb), the sensor response was observed to be 1.02. The fabricated TiO2/SiNWs sensor demonstrates good accuracy and reproducibility along with very fast response and recovery time, i.e., ~20sec and ~30sec, respectively. Hence, the results reported in the present work and the developed sensing platform using TiO2/SiNWs nanocomposite could be utilized for reliable and precise identification of TB at an early stage.

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Abbreviations

MN:

Methyl Nicotinate

VOCs:

Volatile organic compounds

SiNWs:

n-type silicon nanowires

MACE:

Metal-assisted chemical etching

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

TEM:

Transmission electron microscopy

EDX:

Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

XRD:

X-ray Diffraction

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

TiO2/SiNWs:

Titanium dioxide-coated silicon nanowires

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Acknowledgements

This study received no particular support from governmental, private, or non-profit funding sources. We’d like to express our thanks to Dr. Ashok Chauhan, Amity University’s Founder President, for his unwavering support and motivation.

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The authors declare they have no financial interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amity Institute of Advanced Research and Studies (Materials & Devices), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, 201303, Noida, India

    Varsha Gautam, Avshish Kumar & Vinod Kumar Jain

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana, India

    Ramesh Kumar

  3. Department of Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), 110025, New Delhi, India

    Mushahid Husain

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana, India

    Suman Nagpal

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  1. Varsha Gautam
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Correspondence to Suman Nagpal.

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Gautam, V., Kumar, A., Kumar, R. et al. Ultrafast trace-level detection of methyl nicotinate biomarker using TiO2/SiNWs nanocomposite-based sensing platform. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 3411–3423 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-07538-2

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