LB for biosensor
Susanna Laurén Apr 4, ’23 ~2 min

Langmuir-Blodgett films for biosensors

A biosensor is a device that can detect the presence of a specific biological molecule or compound, such as a protein or hormone. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are thin layers of material that can be used to create detecting layers on biosensors. LB films are created by depositing a thin layer of material onto a substrate, such as a glass or metal surface, using a technique called the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition process.

What is a Langmuir-Blodgett deposition?

The LB film deposition process involves the transfer of material from a liquid surface, called a Langmuir film, onto a substrate. This process is carried out in a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, which is a specialized piece of laboratory equipment that consists of a liquid vessel and movable barriers.

To create an LB film, the material to be deposited is first dissolved in a solvent and spread over the surface of the water in the Langmuir-Blodgett trough.LBThe material forms a monolayer at the surface that can then be manipulated by moving the barrier across the surface of the water. Barriers are used to compress the monolayer and create a uniform film of material. Once the film has been formed, it can be transferred onto a substrate by carefully pulling or pushing the substrate through the interphase. This process can be repeated multiple times to create multilayer structures.

What makes LB unique for biosensor manufacturing?

LB films have several properties that make them useful for biosensor applications. They are highly uniform, with a well-defined thickness, and can be fabricated with a variety of materials.

LB films offer various opportunities for the creation of biosensors. Enzyme-based biosensors have been utilizing LB films for decades because their molecular structure is designed to maintain enzyme activity. These LB films can contain enzymes and be exposed to samples containing analytes that interact with the enzyme in a specific manner. In most cases, enzyme-based biosensors made with LB films consist of lipids that are arranged in monolayers or multilayers, which serve as appropriate matrices to safeguard or amplify enzyme activity.

[1] Miyahara, Y. et. al., "Micro urea sensor using semiconductor and enzyme immobilizing technologies", J. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1983, 6, 823-830

[2] Pastorino, L. et. al., "Biocatalytic Langmuir-Blodgett assemblies based on penicillin G acylase", Colloids Surf. B. Biomembr., 2002, 23, 357-363.

[3] Girard-Egrot, A.P. et. al., "Enzyme association with lipidic Langmuir-Blodgett films: Interests and applications in nanobioscience", Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., 2005, 116, 205-225.

[4] Oliviera, O.N., et al.,"The past and the future of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films", Chem. Rev., 2022, 122, 6459-6513.

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