Method for making polymer single nanowires and sensors utilizing the same

A method of functionalizing polymer single nanowires to enable detection of a biomarker for a certain disease comprising the steps of:

• incubating an aqueous mixture of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide), N-hydroxysuccinimide, and a biomarker on a polymer single nanowire that connects a pair of gold electrodes on a silicon wafer;
• rinsing the polymer single nanowire;
• and
• soaking the polymer single nanowire in an aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin.

A method of biasing a microfluidic biosensor to maximize sensitivity to a biomarker, the method comprising the steps of:

• covalently bonding the biomarker to a polymer single nanowire connecting two electrodes on a silicon wafer to give a prefunctionalized biosensor;
• integrating polydimethylsiloxane with the prefunctionalized biosensor to give a microfluidic device;
• coupling a gate electrode to the polymer single nanowire, wherein a solution in communication with the gate electrode and polymer single nanowire serves as a liquid electrolyte gate;
• and
• tuning a gate voltage applied to the gate electrode.

A biomarker detection device comprising:

• a microfluidic biosensor further comprising a biomarker functionalized polymer single nanowire connecting a pair of gold electrodes on a silicon wafer;
• the polymer single nanowire coupled to a gate electrode by a liquid electrolyte gate;
• a tunable gate voltage connected to the gate electrode;
• and
• software configured to receive input of the conductivity/resistivity of the polymer single nanowire and report a response for results of the conductivity/resistivity of the polymer single nanowire.