Advances in flexible graphene field-effect transistors for biomolecule sensing

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Jul 7:11:1218024. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1218024. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

With the increasing demand for biomarker detection in wearable electronic devices, flexible biosensors have garnered significant attention. Additionally, graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) have emerged as key components for constructing biosensors, owing to their high sensitivity, multifunctionality, rapid response, and low cost. Leveraging the advantages of flexible substrates, such as biocompatibility, adaptability to complex environments, and fabrication flexibility, flexible GFET sensors exhibit promising prospects in detecting various biomarkers. This review provides a concise summary of design strategies for flexible GFET biosensors, including non-encapsulated gate without dielectric layer coverage and external gate designs. Furthermore, notable advancements in sensing applications of biomolecules, such as proteins, glucose, and ions, are highlighted. Finally, we discuss the future challenges and prospects in this field, aiming to inspire researchers to address these issues in their further investigations.

Keywords: biomarker; biomolecule; biosensor; flexible; graphene field-effect transistor.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 62173093, 61604042), Fujian Provincial Nat. Sci. Foundation (Grant Nos 2020Y0014, 2017J01501), Fujian Province Outstanding Youth Talent Program (Grant No. 601931). Natural Science Foundation of Top Talent of SZTU (No. 20200204); The Special Projects in Key Fields of Ordinary Universities of Guangdong Province (No. 2021ZDZX1018); Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Materials for Advanced MEMS Sensor Chip (No. 2022GCZX005); University-enterprise cooperation research and development project of SZTU (Nos 20221061030010/20221064010022); Self-made experimental equipment project of SZTU (No. 20224027010009).