Keywords
Chemosensor · Biosensor · Pathogen detection · Piezoelectric
10.1 Introduction
In this modern era, sensors have become an inevitable device. With the explosion in
technological advancements and industrial developments, the morbidity and mortality rates are also steeply rising. Therefore, it is mandatory to monitor our environment and to sustain a healthy life. Sensing involves recognition of a particular entity
such as matter, energy using a specialized device termed sensor. A sensor is built
with a selective sensing element coupled to a transducer which helps in converting
the changes observed into a readable output signal such as electrical, magnetic, or
optical, with its magnitude directly proportional to quantity sensed. Sensors are
applied in human lives in various ways including medicine/health in drug/pathogen
detection and also in industries like automobiles, electronics, and waste management. It is thus significant to develop sensors, and to date, several endeavors are
made to move further in this area of research.
There are a number of transducers with different operating principles such as
fluorescence (Li et al. 2015), surface plasmon resonance (Liu et al. 2016a; Rifat et al.
2015), colorimetric (Taneja and Tyagi 2007), cantilever (Fritz 2008)/piezoelectric
crystal/quartz crystalline microbalance (Farka et al. 2013; Fawcett et al. 1988), and
electrochemical mode comprising of amperometric, voltammetric and impedimetric
(Chen and Shah 2013; Wan et al. 2011), and the immunoÀ/biochemical sensors
(Menti et al. 2016; Sign and Sumana 2016). Detection of lower concentrations of
target analytes such as nucleic acids or other analytes in the sample mixture has been
a daunting task which is addressed by means of concentrating the sample using
various methods including polymerase chain reaction and use of magnetic beads,
suitable nanoparticles, or other labels. In general, a typical sensor solely relies on the
selectivity of recognition element/receptor, specific recognition of an analyte, sensitivity and specificity of the detection process, enrichment of response signals, and
transmission of output readable signals using the transducer.
The development in science and technology yielding incredible findings has led
to increased vulnerability of all life forms to numerous toxins and infectious
pathogens, which compelled the researchers to broaden the range of sensors to
safeguard human lives by developing simple sensors, in particular chemosensors
and biosensors targeted toward hazardous chemicals/pesticides, clinical diagnosis
(Yanase et al. 2014), food industry (Scognamiglio et al. 2014), and water and
environmental quality measures/monitoring (Teo and Wong 2014; Bereza-Malcolm
et al. 2014; Singh et al. 2020). Since the period of the 1980s, there is an extensive
growth and development of the various chemosensors, initiated by de Silva and
Czarnik, known to be fathers of modern chemosensors. Chemosensors are essential
for the detection of environmentally hazardous/toxic chemicals, cations, anions,
neutral molecules, and physiologically important molecules/ions which are in
268
J. Brindha et al.
Chemosensor · Biosensor · Pathogen detection · Piezoelectric
10.1 Introduction
In this modern era, sensors have become an inevitable device. With the explosion in
technological advancements and industrial developments, the morbidity and mortality rates are also steeply rising. Therefore, it is mandatory to monitor our environment and to sustain a healthy life. Sensing involves recognition of a particular entity
such as matter, energy using a specialized device termed sensor. A sensor is built
with a selective sensing element coupled to a transducer which helps in converting
the changes observed into a readable output signal such as electrical, magnetic, or
optical, with its magnitude directly proportional to quantity sensed. Sensors are
applied in human lives in various ways including medicine/health in drug/pathogen
detection and also in industries like automobiles, electronics, and waste management. It is thus significant to develop sensors, and to date, several endeavors are
made to move further in this area of research.
There are a number of transducers with different operating principles such as
fluorescence (Li et al. 2015), surface plasmon resonance (Liu et al. 2016a; Rifat et al.
2015), colorimetric (Taneja and Tyagi 2007), cantilever (Fritz 2008)/piezoelectric
crystal/quartz crystalline microbalance (Farka et al. 2013; Fawcett et al. 1988), and
electrochemical mode comprising of amperometric, voltammetric and impedimetric
(Chen and Shah 2013; Wan et al. 2011), and the immunoÀ/biochemical sensors
(Menti et al. 2016; Sign and Sumana 2016). Detection of lower concentrations of
target analytes such as nucleic acids or other analytes in the sample mixture has been
a daunting task which is addressed by means of concentrating the sample using
various methods including polymerase chain reaction and use of magnetic beads,
suitable nanoparticles, or other labels. In general, a typical sensor solely relies on the
selectivity of recognition element/receptor, specific recognition of an analyte, sensitivity and specificity of the detection process, enrichment of response signals, and
transmission of output readable signals using the transducer.
The development in science and technology yielding incredible findings has led
to increased vulnerability of all life forms to numerous toxins and infectious
pathogens, which compelled the researchers to broaden the range of sensors to
safeguard human lives by developing simple sensors, in particular chemosensors
and biosensors targeted toward hazardous chemicals/pesticides, clinical diagnosis
(Yanase et al. 2014), food industry (Scognamiglio et al. 2014), and water and
environmental quality measures/monitoring (Teo and Wong 2014; Bereza-Malcolm
et al. 2014; Singh et al. 2020). Since the period of the 1980s, there is an extensive
growth and development of the various chemosensors, initiated by de Silva and
Czarnik, known to be fathers of modern chemosensors. Chemosensors are essential
for the detection of environmentally hazardous/toxic chemicals, cations, anions,
neutral molecules, and physiologically important molecules/ions which are in
268
J. Brindha et al.