Magnetic-field-assisted assembly of metal/polymer/metal junction sensors

A magnetic field assisted method to assemble an array of electrically wired polymer junctions functionalized with oligopeptides, was presented, for chemical sensor applications. The sensor building blocks consisted of (Au/Ni/Au) metallic bars, an array of parallel microelectrodes on silicon chip, and a thin layer of peptide-functionalized polyaniline deposited on the bars or the microelectrodes. The building blocks were assembled into the sensor by exposing the microelectrodes to a solution containing metal bars in the presence of a magnetic field. The distinctive features of the peptide-polymer-based sensor were direct conversion of an ionic binding event into an electrical signal, and small sensing element.