Researchers have produced purified single-wall carbon nanotubes that could enable the development of significantly more accurate healthcare sensors. Because certain biomolecules — such as female hormones — are present in the body at extremely low concentrations, next-generation biosensors must detect minute fluctuations with far greater sensitivity than current glucose monitors.
A long-standing barrier to the use of single-wall carbon nanotubes in precision sensing has been chirality, which determines whether nanotubes are conductive or semiconductive. Manufacturing typically yields mixed chiralities, complicating performance control.
The scientists developed methods to separate nanotubes with very similar chiralities and identified distinct electrochemical differences between them. By fabricating sensors entirely from purified nanotubes and precisely controlling their concentration, the team demonstrated that chirality directly affects sensing performance. The findings mark the first clear evidence that nanotube chirality alters electrochemical sensor response. The work lays a foundation for tailoring nanotube structures to specific biomolecules, potentially enabling continuous, ultra-sensitive health monitoring in the future. (Image credit: Mikael Nyberg)
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