Submit to Sensors Review for Sensors Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2015) | Viewed by 58132

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Michael G. Weller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Division 1.5 Protein Analysis, Richard-Willstätter-Street 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Interests: peptide libraries; peptide sequencing; bioconjugation; screening; biosensors; microarrays; lab-on-a-chip; bioanalysis; affinity chromatography; immunoassays; labelling; quantitative protein analysis; bioanalytical validation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Explosives, chemical weapons, and biological agents are a permanent menace in many countries around the world. Although various traditional methods exist to detect those hazards, they often are slow, expensive, unwieldy, lab-based, and usually lack sufficient sensitivity and selectivity, thus rendering them impracticable. The development of innovative detection methods for such agents is therefore one of the major challenges in modern analytical sciences.

In this Special Issue, we would like to focus on approaches which are based on the selective interaction of biochemical or chemical binders, such as antibodies, enzymes, aptamers, DNA and RNA in general, PNA, peptides, molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs), and the like.

Technologies, such as surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors, surface-acoustic wave (SAW) sensors, quartz crystal microbalances (QMB), microcantilevers, other microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), fluorescence and chemiluminescence-based sensors, test strips, lateral flow assays, microarray biosensors and other multiplexed approaches, µ-total analysis systems (µ-TAS), lab-on-a-chip systems, and nanosensors are transducer platforms of interest for this issue. Technologies that deal with biological hazards, such as amplification-based assays utilizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR), rolling-circle amplification or loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) embedded in a sensor system, are also of substantial interest.

Dr. Michael G. Weller
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

explosives
chemical warfare
biological weapons
biological warfare
homeland security
terrorism
improvised explosive device
land mines
public safety
airport security
security of mass transportation

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

1649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Colorimetric-Based Detection of TNT Explosives Using Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles

by Noorhayati Idros, Man Yi Ho, Mike Pivnenko, Malik M. Qasim, Hua Xu, Zhongze Gu and Daping Chu

Sensors 2015, 15(6), 12891-12905; https://doi.org/10.3390/s150612891 - 03 Jun 2015

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 9515

Abstract

This proof-of-concept study proposes a novel sensing mechanism for selective and label-free detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). It is realized by surface chemistry functionalization of silica nanoparticles (NPs) with 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES). The primary amine anchored to the surface of the silica nanoparticles (SiO₂-NH₂) acts as a capturing probe for TNT target binding to form Meisenheimer amine–TNT complexes. A colorimetric change of the self-assembled (SAM) NP samples from the initial green of a SiO₂-NH₂ nanoparticle film towards red was observed after successful attachment of TNT, which was confirmed as a result of the increased separation between the nanoparticles. The shift in the peak wavelength of the reflected light normal to the film surface and the associated change of the peak width were measured, and a merit function taking into account their combined effect was proposed for the detection of TNT concentrations from 10⁻¹² to 10⁻⁴ molar. The selectivity of our sensing approach is confirmed by using TNT-bound nanoparticles incubated in AptamerX, with 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) and toluene used as control and baseline, respectively. Our results show the repeatable systematic color change with the TNT concentration and the possibility to develop a robust, easy-to-use, and low-cost TNT detection method for performing a sensitive, reliable, and semi-quantitative detection in a wide detection range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

1143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensor for the Electrochemical Determination of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP)

by Samuel Kassahun Mamo and Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez

Sensors 2014, 14(12), 23269-23282; https://doi.org/10.3390/s141223269 - 05 Dec 2014

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 7763

Abstract

The explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which can be prepared from commercially readily available reagents following an easy synthetic procedure, is one of the most common components of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Molecularly-imprinted polymer (MIP) electrochemical sensors have proved useful for the determination of different compounds in different matrices with the required sensitivity and selectivity. In this work, a highly sensitive and selective molecularly imprinted polymer with electrochemical capabilities for the determination of TATP has been developed. The molecular imprinting has been performed via electropolymerisation onto a glassy carbon electrode surface by cyclic voltammetry from a solution of pyrrole functional monomer, TATP template and LiClO₄. Differential Pulse Voltammetry of TATP, with LiClO₄ as supporting electrolyte, was performed in a potential range of −2.0 V to +1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Three-factor two-level factorial design was used to optimise the monomer concentration at 0.1 mol∙L⁻¹, template concentration at 100 mmol∙L⁻¹ and the number of cyclic voltammetry scan cycles to 10. The molecularly imprinted polymer-modified glassy carbon electrode demonstrated good performance at low concentrations for a linear range of 82–44,300 µg∙L⁻¹ and a correlation coefficient of r² = 0.996. The limits of detection (LoD) and quantification (LoQ) achieved were 26.9 μg∙L⁻¹ and 81.6 μg∙L⁻¹, respectively. The sensor demonstrated very good repeatability with precision values (n = 6, expressed as %RSD) of 1.098% and 0.55% for 1108 and 2216 µg∙L⁻¹, respectively. It also proved selective for TATP in the presence of other explosive substances such as PETN, RDX, HMX, and TNT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

1817 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Love-Wave Sensors Combined with Microfluidics for Fast Detection of Biological Warfare Agents

by Daniel Matatagui, José Luis Fontecha, María Jesús Fernández, Isabel Gràcia, Carles Cané, José Pedro Santos and María Carmen Horrillo

Sensors 2014, 14(7), 12658-12669; https://doi.org/10.3390/s140712658 - 15 Jul 2014

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6374

Abstract

The following paper examines a time-efficient method for detecting biological warfare agents (BWAs). The method is based on a system of a Love-wave immunosensor combined with a microfluidic chip which detects BWA samples in a dynamic mode. In this way a continuous flow-through of the sample is created, promoting the reaction between antigen and antibody and allowing a fast detection of the BWAs. In order to prove this method, static and dynamic modes have been simulated and different concentrations of BWA simulants have been tested with two immunoreactions: phage M13 has been detected using the mouse monoclonal antibody anti-M13 (AM13), and the rabbit immunoglobulin (Rabbit IgG) has been detected using the polyclonal antibody goat anti-rabbit (GAR). Finally, different concentrations of each BWA simulants have been detected with a fast response time and a desirable level of discrimination among them has been achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

1552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensitivity Comparison of Vapor Trace Detection of Explosives Based on Chemo-Mechanical Sensing with Optical Detection and Capacitive Sensing with Electronic Detection

by Drago Strle, Bogdan Štefane, Erik Zupanič, Mario Trifkovič, Marijan Maček, Gregor Jakša, Ivan Kvasič and Igor Muševič

Sensors 2014, 14(7), 11467-11491; https://doi.org/10.3390/s140711467 - 27 Jun 2014

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 9161

Abstract

The article offers a comparison of the sensitivities for vapour trace detection of Trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives of two different sensor systems: a chemo-mechanical sensor based on chemically modified Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) cantilevers based on Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) technology with optical detection (CMO), and a miniature system based on capacitive detection of chemically functionalized planar capacitors with interdigitated electrodes with a comb-like structure with electronic detection (CE). In both cases (either CMO or CE), the sensor surfaces are chemically functionalized with a layer of APhS (trimethoxyphenylsilane) molecules, which give the strongest sensor response for TNT. The construction and calibration of a vapour generator is also presented. The measurements of the sensor response to TNT are performed under equal conditions for both systems, and the results show that CE system with ultrasensitive electronics is far superior to optical detection using MEMS. Using CMO system, we can detect 300 molecules of TNT in 10⁺¹² molecules of N₂ carrier gas, whereas the CE system can detect three molecules of TNT in 10⁺¹² molecules of carrier N₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

1025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation and Epitope Mapping of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B Single-Domain Antibodies

by Kendrick B. Turner, Dan Zabetakis, Patricia Legler, Ellen R. Goldman and George P. Anderson

Sensors 2014, 14(6), 10846-10863; https://doi.org/10.3390/s140610846 - 19 Jun 2014

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 7060

Abstract

Single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), derived from the heavy chain only antibodies found in camelids such as llamas have the potential to provide rugged detection reagents with high affinities, and the ability to refold after denaturation. We have isolated and characterized sdAbs specific to staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) which bind to two distinct epitopes and are able to function in a sandwich immunoassay for toxin detection. Characterization of these sdAbs revealed that each exhibited nanomolar binding affinities or better. Melting temperatures for the sdAbs ranged from approximately 60 °C to over 70 °C, with each demonstrating at least partial refolding after denaturation and several were able to completely refold. A first set of sdAbs was isolated by panning the library using adsorbed antigen, all of which recognized the same epitope on SEB. Epitope mapping suggested that these sdAbs bind to a particular fragment of SEB (VKSIDQFLYFDLIYSI) containing position L45 (underlined), which is involved in binding to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Differences in the binding affinities of the sdAbs to SEB and a less-toxic vaccine immunogen, SEBv (L45R/Y89A/Y94A) were also consistent with binding to this epitope. A sandwich panning strategy was utilized to isolate sdAbs which bind a second epitope. This epitope differed from the initial one obtained or from that recognized by previously isolated anti-SEB sdAb A3. Using SEB-toxin spiked milk we demonstrated that these newly isolated sdAbs could be utilized in sandwich-assays with each other, A3, and with various monoclonal antibodies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of Explosives in a Dynamic Marine Environment Using a Moored TNT Immunosensor

by Paul T. Charles, André A. Adams, Jeffrey R. Deschamps, Scott Veitch, Al Hanson and Anne W. Kusterbeck

Sensors 2014, 14(3), 4074-4085; https://doi.org/10.3390/s140304074 - 27 Feb 2014

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7466

Abstract

A field demonstration and longevity assessment for long-term monitoring of the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in a marine environment using an anti-TNT microfluidic immunosensor is described. The TNT immunosensor is comprised of a microfluidic device with 39 parallel microchannels (2.5 cm × 250 µm × 500 µm, L × W × D) fabricated in poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), then chemically functionalized with antibodies possessing a high affinity for TNT. Synthesized fluorescence reporter complexes used in a displacement-based assay format were used for TNT identification. For field deployment the TNT immunosensor was configured onto a submersible moored steel frame along with frame controller, pumps and TNT plume generator and deployed pier side for intermittent plume sampling of TNT (1h increments). Under varying current and tidal conditions trace levels of TNT in natural seawater were detected over an extended period (>18 h). Overnight operation and data recording was monitored via a web interface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

2304 KiB

Open AccessReview

Towards an Electronic Dog Nose: Surface Plasmon Resonance Immunosensor for Security and Safety

by Takeshi Onodera and Kiyoshi Toko

Sensors 2014, 14(9), 16586-16616; https://doi.org/10.3390/s140916586 - 05 Sep 2014

Cited by 37 | Viewed by 9480

Abstract

This review describes an “electronic dog nose” based on a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor and an antigen–antibody interaction for security and safety. We have concentrated on developing appropriate sensor surfaces for the SPR sensor for practical use. The review covers different surface fabrications, which all include variations of a self-assembled monolayer containing oligo(ethylene glycol), dendrimer, and hydrophilic polymer. We have carried out detection of explosives using the sensor surfaces. For the SPR sensor to detect explosives, the vapor or particles of the target substances have to be dissolved in a liquid. Therefore, we also review the development of sampling processes for explosives, and a protocol for the measurement of explosives on the SPR sensor in the field. Additionally, sensing elements, which have the potential to be applied for the electronic dog nose, are described. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Chemo- and Biosensors for Security and Defense

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI