Design of smart chemical ‘tongue’ sensor arrays for pattern-recognition-based biochemical sensing applications

• Published in: TrAC, Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.) Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.), 2020-03, Vol.124, p.115794, Article 115794
• Main Authors: Chen, Zi-Han, Fan, Qian-Xi, Han, Xin-Yue, Shi, Guoyue, Zhang, Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical sensor array; Molecular recognition; Multiple analysis; Pattern recognition; Tongue-mimic
• ISSN: 0165-9936; 1879-3142
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2019.115794

Conventional molecular recognition was tightly related to the development of analyte-specific sensor. However, all most every biochemical process are not decided on only one factor. When several factors were imported simultaneously, the established sensor could be seriously interfered and gave the wrong response. In this regard, chemical tongue-mimic sensor array was promoted to recognize a set of analytes, which concerned each component of mixtures. This review, focused on the development of chemical “tongue” sensor arrays from recent years, and gave enlightening examples about how to design integrated sensor system, how to choose the responsive signals and explain the mechanism of each used. As for applications, this review concluded the status of what chemical or biochemical species could be discriminated, what the advantages or drawbacks they had and the novel mechanism they used. In the last, this review also pointed out the limitations and future of related field. •We reviewed the concept, mechanism and the recent progress of chemical “tongue” sensor array.•Chemical “tongue” sensor arrays based on organic molecules, nanomaterials and organic-inorganic hybrid are introduced and their applications are also discussed.