pH Sensing through Silicon Nanoribbon/Carbon Nanotube Porin Hybrid Sensor

pH of local environments is an important parameter for detection of pathological conditions and understanding of cellular mechanisms. Silicon nanoribbon field effect transistor (FET) has been proved to be a high-throughput and sensitive platform for pH sensing. However, the spatial resolution of the silicon nanoribbon is limited by the lithography techniques. Recent studies have demonstrated sub-2nm diameter carbon nanotube (CNT) porins are fast and efficient proton conductors. Furthermore, the CNT porins also can be successfully incorporated into lipid bilayers. In this research, we focus on a bioelectronic approach toward designing pH-sensing devices. We will describe an organic/inorganic hybrid device that combines nanoribbon FET with self-assembled CNT/lipid bilayer for pH sensing. And we will also discuss its potential application in nanometer spatial resolution intracellular biosensing.