Sensors employing single-walled carbon nanotubes

• US 20070292896A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Barone, Paul, Baik, Seunghyun, Strano, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,765,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/7.9
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/551 the carrier being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/66 involving blood sugars, e.g. galactose

Abstract

Sensing compositions, sensing element, sensing systems and sensing devices for the detection and/or quantitation of one or more analytes, Compositions comprising carbon nanotubes in which the carbon nanotubes retain their ability to luminesce and in which that luminescence is rendered selectively sensitive to the presence of an analyte. Compositions comprising individually dispersed carbon nanotubes, which are electronically isolated from other carbon nanotubes, yet which are associated with chemical selective species, such as polymers, particularly biological polymers, for example proteins, which can interact selectively with, or more specifically selectivity bind to, an analyte of interest. Chemically selective species bind, preferably non-covalently, to the carbon nanotube and function to provide for analyte selectivity. Chemically selective species include polymers to which one or more chemically selective groups are covalently attached. Chemically selective polymers include, for example, proteins and polysaccharides.

Claims

1. An analyte sensing composition for detecting an analyte, or determining the concentration of the analyte, which comprises a sensing complex of a sensing polymer with a semi-conducting, single-walled carbon nanotube, wherein the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex exhibits photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared, the sensing polymer selectively binds to or selectively reacts with the analyte, and the photo-induced band gap fluorescence of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex is responsive to the selective binding of the sensing polymer to the analyte or the selective reaction of the sensing polymer with the analyte.

2. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is a protein.

3. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is an enzyme which selectively reacts with the analyte.

4. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte is glucose and the sensing polymer is a glucose oxidase.

5. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is an antibody or antibody fragment and the analyte is an antigen which binds to the antibody or antibody fragment.

6. The analyte sensing composition of claim 5, wherein the antibody is a monoclonal antibody.

7. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte is an antibody or antibody fragment and the sensing polymer is a protein comprising one or more epitopes which bind to the antibody of antibody fragment.

8. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is a polysaccharide.

9. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is covalently bonded to the analyte, or a derivative or analog thereof.

10. The analyte sensing composition of claim 9, wherein the sensing polymer is a protein.

11. The analyte sensing composition of claim 9, wherein the sensing polymer is a polyethylene glycol.

12. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is an enzyme selected from the group consisting of a glucose oxidase, a glucose dehydrogenase, a galactose oxidase, a glutamate oxidase, an L-amino acid oxidase, a D-amino acid oxidase, a cholesterol oxidase, a cholesterol esterase, a choline oxidase, a lipoxigenase, a lipoprotein lipase, a glycerol kinase, a glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase, a lactate oxidase, a lactate dehydrogenase, a pyruvate oxidase, an alcohol oxidase, a bilirubin oxidase, a sarcosine oxidase, a uricase (also called a urate oxidase), and an xanthine oxidase and wherein the analyte is a substrate for the enzyme.

13. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing polymer is a receptor protein and the analyte is a ligand which binds to the receptor.

14. The analyte sensing composition of claim 13, wherein the receptor protein is a steroid receptor, or an estrogen receptor.

15. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the sensing protein is an enzyme which catalyzes oxidation or reduction of the analyte and wherein the sensing composition further comprises one or more redox mediators which function for electron transfer from the analyte or the oxidation or reduction product thereof to the complexed carbon nanotube.

16. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte is a steroid and the sensing polymer is a steroid receptor protein.

17. The analyte sensing composition of claim 16, wherein the analyte is a steroid and the sensing polymer is covalently linked to one or more molecules of the steroid.

18. The analyte sensing composition of claim 16, wherein the analyte is a steroid and the sensing polymer is covalently linked to one or more molecules of an analog or derivative of the steroid.

19. The analyte sensing composition of claim 17, wherein the sensing composition further comprising a binding partner for the steroid.

20. The analyte sensing composition of claim 17, wherein the sensing composition further comprises an antibody or antibody fragment that binds to the steroid.

21. The analyte sensing composition of claim 16, wherein the steroid is an estrogen.

22. The analyte sensing composition of claim 16, wherein the steroid is 17-Beta-estradiol.

23. The analyte sensing composition of claim 18, wherein the steroid is an estrogen, the sensing composition further comprises a binding partner for the estrogen and the sensing polymer is covalently linked to an analog or derivative of the estrogen that binds to the estrogen binding partner.

24. The analyte sensing composition of claim 18, wherein the steroid is an estrogen, the sensing composition further comprises an antibody or antibody fragment which binds to the estrogen and the sensing polymer is covalently linked to an analog or derivative of the estrogen that binds to the antibody or antibody fragment.

25. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte is a monosaccharide and the sensing polymer is a polysaccharide.

26. The analyte sensing composition of claim 25, further comprising a sensing partner, wherein the monosaccharide and the polysaccharide bind to the sensing partner.

27. The analyte sensing composition of claim 26, wherein the analyte is glucose, the polysaccharide comprises at least one glucose monomer and the sensing partner is a protein that binds to the glucose and the at least one glucose monomer.

28. The analyte sensing composition of claim 27, wherein the polysaccharide is a dextran and the protein is concanavalin A or apo-glucose oxidase.

29. A sensing element for detecting an analyte, wherein the sensing element comprises:

(a) the analyte sensing composition of claim 1, and

(b) a selectively porous container for receiving and retaining the analyte sensing composition, wherein the container is sufficiently porous to allow the analyte to enter the container without allowing the sensing complex of the sensing polymer with the semi-conducting, single-walled carbon nanotube of the analyte sensing composition to exit the container.

30. A sensing system for detecting one or more analytes, wherein the sensing system comprises:

(a) one or more sensing elements of claim 29;

(b) a source of electromagnetic radiation for exciting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex; and

(c) a detector for detecting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex.

31. The sensing system of claim 30, wherein the one or more sensing elements are implanted within a mammal.

47. The composition of claim 25, wherein the monosaccharide is glucose.

48. The composition of claim 25, wherein the polysaccharide is a dextran.

49. A sensing element for detecting an analyte, wherein the sensing element comprises:

(a) the analyte sensing composition of claim 8, and

(b) a selectively porous container for receiving and retaining the analyte sensing composition, wherein the container is sufficiently porous to allow the analyte to enter the container without allowing the sensing complex of the polysaccharide with the semi-conducting, single-walled carbon nanotube of the analyte sensing composition to exit the container.

50. A sensing element for detecting a monosaccharide, wherein the sensing element comprises:

(a) the analyte sensing composition of claim 25;

and

(b) a selectively porous container for receiving and retaining the analyte sensing composition, wherein the container is sufficiently porous to allow the monosaccharide to enter the container without allowing the sensing complex of the polysaccharide with the semi-conducting, single-walled carbon nanotube of the analyte sensing composition to exit the container.

51. A sensing system for detecting one or more analytes, wherein the sensing system comprises:

(a) one or more sensing elements for detecting an analyte of claim 49;

(b) a source of electromagnetic radiation for exciting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex; and

(c) a detector for detecting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex.

52. The sensing system of claim 51, wherein the analyte is glucose.

53. A sensing system for detecting one or more monosaccharides, wherein the sensing system comprises:

(a) one or more sensing elements for detecting a monosaccharide of claim 50;

(b) a source of electromagnetic radiation for exciting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex; and

(c) a detector for detecting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex.

54. The sensing system of claim 53 wherein, the analyte is glucose.

55. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte sensing composition is dispersed in a liquid phase.

56. The analyte sensing composition of claim 55, wherein the analyte sensing composition is dispersed in an aqueous medium.

57. The analyte sensing composition of claim 1, wherein the analyte sensing composition is dispersed in a solid or semi-solid matrix wherein the matrix is selectively permeable to the analyte, but not permeable to the sensing complex.

58. A method for detecting the presence of an analyte or determining the concentration of the analyte in an environment in which the analyte may be present, which comprises the steps of:

(a) contacting the analyte sensing composition of claim 1 with the environment in which the analyte may be present; and

(b) detecting the photo-induced band gap fluorescence in the near-infrared of the carbon nanotube of the sensing composition to thereby detect the presence of the analyte or determine the concentration of the analyte in the environment.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the analyte is a monosaccharide and the sensing polymer of the sensing composition is a polysaccharide.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the analyte sensing composition is retained in a container that is selectively porous to the analyte

61. The method of claim 58, wherein the analyte sensing composition is dispersed in a liquid phase.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the analyte sensing composition is dispersed in an aqueous solution.

63. The method of claim 58, wherein the sensing composition is dispersed in a solid or semi-solid matrix which is selectively permeable to the analyte, but not permeable to the sensing complex of the analyte sensing composition.

32-37. -37. (canceled)

38-46. -46. (canceled)

64. An analyte sensing composition for detecting an analyte, or determining the concentration of the analyte, which consists essentially of a sensing complex of a sensing polymer with a semi-conducting, single-walled carbon nanotube, wherein the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex exhibits photo-induced band gap fluorescence, the sensing polymer selectively binds to or selectively reacts with the analyte, and the photo-induced band gap fluorescence of the carbon nanotube of the sensing complex is responsive to the selective binding of the sensing polymer to the analyte or the selective reaction of the sensing polymer with the analyte.