Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Chemo/bio-sensor networks

The concept of wireless sensor networks conjures up images of a world of ubiquitous sensing, but it requires a massive increase in the number of sensors available. Although there has been considerable activity in transducer-based 'sensor nets', there have been virtually no corresponding deployments of chemical- or biological-sensing networks — considerable advances in materials science are needed before these can be used on a large scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The spiropyran–merocyanine system can be switched between two forms having dramatically differing properties, with potential for use in sensor applications.

References

  1. Shenker, S., Ratnasamy, S., Karp, B., Govindan, R. & Estrin, D. Computer Comm. Rev. 33, 137–142 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Diamond, D. Anal. Chem. 76, 278A–286A (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Diamond, D. in Advances in Sensing with Security Applications (eds Byrnes, J. & Ostheimer, G.) 121–146 (NATO Security through Science Series, Volume 2, Springer, 2006); ibidhttp://www.prometheus-inc.com/asi/sensors2005/lecturers.html.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Evans, T. R., Toth, A. F. & Leermake, P. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 89, 5060–5061 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Phillips, J. P., Mueller, A. & Przystal, F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 87, 4020 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Evans, L. III, Collins, G. E., Shaffer, R. E., Michelet, V. & Winkler, J. D. Anal. Chem. 71, 5322–5327 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Stitzel, S., Byrne, R. & Diamond, D. J. Mater. Sci. 16, 1332–1337 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Byrne, R., Stitzel, S. & Diamond, D. J. Mater. Chem. (in the press).

  9. Shao, N. et al. Anal. Chem. 77, 7294–7303 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Stauffer, M. T. & Weber, S. G. Anal. Chem. 71, 1146–1151 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Lin, J. et al. Front. Biosci. 10, 483–491 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Meas, T., Taboulet, P., Sobngwi, E. & Gautier, J. F. Diabetes Metab. 31, 299–303 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Boone, T. et al. Anal. Chem. 74, 78A–86A (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Dempsey, E. et al. Anal. Chim. Acta 346, 341–349 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Boncheva, M. & Whitesides, G. M. in Dekker Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Vol. 1 (eds Schwarz, J. A., Contescu, C. I. & Putyera, K.) 287–294 (Taylor & Francis, New York, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Grzybowski, B. A., Radkowski, M., Campbell, C. J., Ng Lee, J. & Whitesides, G. M. Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 1798–1800 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bowden, M. & Diamond, D. Sens. Actuat. B 90, 170–174 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support under the Science Foundation Ireland 'Adaptive Information Cluster' award (grant number 03/IN.3/1361).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dermot Diamond.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Byrne, R., Diamond, D. Chemo/bio-sensor networks. Nature Mater 5, 421–424 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1661

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1661

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing