Pyrenecyclodextrin-decorated single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors as chemical sensors

A study was conducted to fabricate pyrenecyclodextrin-decorated single-walled carbonnanotube/field-effect transistors (SWCNT/FET) devices to sense organic molecules, based on the concept of molecular recognition. The transistor characteristics of pyrenecyclodextrin-decorated SWCNT/FET device shift towards negative gate voltage in the presence of certain molecules, some of which are included inside the cavities of cyclodextrins with moderate binding constants and do not have appreciable interactions with SWCNTs. The study also demonstrated that the magnitude of these shifts for the organic molecules depend on their complex formation constants, with pyrenecyclodextrin and follow a linear relationship.