Summary
High-density ZnO nanorods of 60–80 nm in diameter and 500–700 nm in length grown on the silver-coated tip of a borosilicate glass capillary (0.7 μm in diameter) demonstrate a remarkable linear response to proton H3O+ concentrations in solution. These nanorods were used to create a highly sensitive pH sensor for monitoring in vivo biological process within single cells. The ZnO nanorods exhibit a pH-dependent electrochemical potential difference versus an Ag/AgCl microelectrode. The potential difference was linear over a large dynamic range (pH, 4–11) and had a sensitivity equal to 51.88 mV/pH at 22°C, which could be understood in terms of changes in surface charge during protonation and deprotonation. Vertically grown nanoelectrodes of this type can be smoothly and gently applied to penetrate a single living cell without causing cell apoptosis.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Swedish Research Council and Molecular Skin Research Platform within the Faculty of Science at Göteborg University.
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Willander, M., Al-Hilli, S. (2009). ZnO Nanorods as an Intracellular Sensor for pH Measurements. In: Foote, R., Lee, J. (eds) Micro and Nano Technologies in Bioanalysis. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 544. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_13
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