Nanowire electrochemical sensors: can we live without labels?

Based on the impressive sensing capabilities reported so far, the continued development of NW sensors may significantly impact many fields that can benefit from label-free real-time sensor arrays, such as genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, and medical diagnostics. Although significant progress has been made in demonstrating the capability of detecting molecular binding to modified Si-NW surfaces, more work is necessary to quantitatively describe the physical and chemical mechanisms during the binding and detection process. We believe that use of the Site Binding Model to describe the surface potential variations as function of concentration of binding species is essential for proper understanding of Si-NW biosensor functionality. Additionally, the use of a reference electrode will provide a way to better control the surface potential and thus the sensitivity of the devices. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2007.