Multi-transduction of molecular recognition events in metalloporphyrin layers

Abstract

Besides the design and synthesis of appropriate molecular recognition systems, the development of chemical sensors requires a careful selection of the transducer to allow conversion of the chemical interaction into an exploitable electric signal. Metalloporphyrins, which are characterized by manifold of interactions of different strength and selectivity, provide a good example of the complexity of such an issue. In this paper, an example of the different ways to capture interactions occurring in a metalloporphyrin layer is presented. In particular, the properties of mass (quartz microbalance) and surface potential transducers (field effect transistor) are illustrated. Results suggest that field effect transistors are more suitable to preserve the interactions magnitude scale than to maintain the original selectivity of the molecular recognition system.