Fast electrical detection of Hg(II) ions with AlGaN∕GaN high electron mobility transistors

Bare Au gated and thioglycolic acid functionalized Au-gated AlGaN∕GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were used to detect mercury (II) ions. Fast detection of less than 5s was achieved for thioglycolic acid functionalized sensors. This is the shortest response time ever reported for mercury detection. Thioglycolic acid functionalized Au-gated AlGaN∕GaN HEMT based sensors showed 2.5 times larger response than bare Au-gated based sensors. The sensors were able to detect mercury (II) ion concentration as low as 10−7M. The sensors showed an excellent sensing selectivity of more than 100 for detecting mercury ions over sodium or magnesium ions. The dimensions of the active area of the sensor and the entire sensor chip are 50×50μm2 and 1×5mm2, respectively. Therefore, portable, fast response, and wireless based heavy metal ion detectors can be realized with AlGaN∕GaN HEMT based sensors.

[1]  J. Durrant,et al.  Reversible colorimetric probes for mercury sensing. , 2005, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[2]  J. Veciana,et al.  Highly selective chromogenic and redox or fluorescent sensors of Hg2+ in aqueous environment based on 1,4-disubstituted azines. , 2005, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[3]  Wei Zheng,et al.  Brain barrier systems: a new frontier in metal neurotoxicological research. , 2003, Toxicology and applied pharmacology.

[4]  J. Domingo,et al.  Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in common foods and estimated daily intake by children, adolescents, adults, and seniors of Catalonia, Spain. , 2003, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[5]  Alan H Stern,et al.  A review of the studies of the cardiovascular health effects of methylmercury with consideration of their suitability for risk assessment. , 2005, Environmental research.

[6]  Farhana Zahir,et al.  Low dose mercury toxicity and human health. , 2005, Environmental toxicology and pharmacology.

[7]  A. Renzoni,et al.  Mercury levels along the food chain and risk for exposed populations. , 1998, Environmental research.

[8]  Amir Dabiran,et al.  Detection of halide ions with AlGaN∕GaN high electron mobility transistors , 2005 .

[9]  R. Handy,et al.  Dose-dependent inorganic mercury absorption by isolated perfused intestine of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, involves both amiloride-sensitive and energy-dependent pathways. , 2005, Aquatic toxicology.

[10]  Amir Dabiran,et al.  Electrical detection of immobilized proteins with ungated AlGaN∕GaN high-electron-mobility Transistors , 2005 .

[11]  Kim D Janda,et al.  A blue fluorescent antibody-cofactor sensor for mercury. , 2005, Organic letters.

[12]  John C. Roberts,et al.  Pressure-induced changes in the conductivity of AlGaN∕GaN high-electron mobility-transistor membranes , 2004 .

[13]  Hung-Ta Wang,et al.  Comparison of gate and drain current detection of hydrogen at room temperature with AlGaN∕GaN high electron mobility transistors , 2005 .

[14]  Chih-Ching Huang,et al.  Selective gold-nanoparticle-based "turn-on" fluorescent sensors for detection of mercury(II) in aqueous solution. , 2006, Analytical chemistry.

[15]  J. J. Chen,et al.  Electrical detection of deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization with AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors , 2006 .

[16]  J. Tae,et al.  A rhodamine-based fluorescent and colorimetric chemodosimeter for the rapid detection of Hg2+ ions in aqueous media. , 2005, Journal of the American Chemical Society.