Single-molecule Aflatoxin B1 Sensing via Pyrrole-based Molecular Quantum Dot

Design of Pyrrole-Based Gate-Controlled Molecular Junctions Optimized for Single-Molecule Aflatoxin B1 Detection

“…In other words, the target analyte can significantly affect the electron wavefunction in the SMS by modifying the transmission properties , and , and therefore the current, , which can be evaluated through Equations ( 1 ) and ( 3 ). In addition, we have also shown in [ 26 ] that AFB1 can form hydrogen bonds with the 8PyDT detection element. A detailed treatment of hydrogen bonds can be found in [ 68 ].…”

“…Compared with our previous work [ 26 ], this work extends the study to additional adsorption configurations to cover all possible realistic cases. Figure 5 a reports the strategy used to study the adsorption of AFB1 to 8PyDT.…”

“…Scanning Tunneling Break Junction (STM-BJ) techniques and Mechanical Break Junction (MBJ) platforms allow the experimental verification of single molecule devices such as switches, photoswitches, diodes, memristors and sensors [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Molecular electrical detection has been demonstrated in various applications experimentally and theoretically [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], and significantly novel properties have been highlighted by the use of molecules in the realization of sensors [ 25 ]. In addition, possible nanoscale phenomena with exclusive conductive properties, e.g., the quantum interference [ 27 , 28 , 29 ], and successful applications in high-sensitivity sensors make it very promising for the detection of small molecules.…”

“…Recently, we investigated in a previous work [ 26 ] gold-8-pyrrole-dithiol molecular dots (Au-8PyDT) as amperometric Single-Molecule Sensors (SMS) for AFB1 detection, which resulted in encouraging results for employing molecular electronics for detection. In particular, a direct sensing principle, not relying on the presence of bio-transducers, makes the molecular sensor reusable, thus promising for real-time, on-site, label-free, pervasive automatic detection of AFB1 [ 26 ].…”

“…Recently, we investigated in a previous work [ 26 ] gold-8-pyrrole-dithiol molecular dots (Au-8PyDT) as amperometric Single-Molecule Sensors (SMS) for AFB1 detection, which resulted in encouraging results for employing molecular electronics for detection. In particular, a direct sensing principle, not relying on the presence of bio-transducers, makes the molecular sensor reusable, thus promising for real-time, on-site, label-free, pervasive automatic detection of AFB1 [ 26 ]. Furthermore, the use of a single poly-pyrrole polymeric chain as a detection element promotes high miniaturization of the sensing element, which boosts the sensitivity, and paves the way for the mass monitoring of AFB1 in the agri-food chain from farm to fork.…”