ORGANIC FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR

 

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topics covered: Bacteria, Detection of bacteria,  Use of Organic Field Effect Transistor (OFET), Need of OFET and its significances

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News Flash

Researchers at IIT-Guwahati have developed a device to detect bacteria.

• Detection of bacteria can be done instantaneously without the time-consuming cell culture and microbiological assays.

 

Importance

• The device helps in healthcare, anti-bioterrorism measures and environmental monitoring applications.
• The hand-held device, with the bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis.

 

Detection of Bacteria

• At present, the detection of bacteria in body fluids is done in laboratories.
• The cells that are derived from the patient are initially cultured or grown so that enough of the bacterial cells are available for microbiological analysis.

 

Need for the bacteria detection device

• The bacterial infection is a common cause of morbidity and mortality across the world.
• The Current diagnostic process is frustratingly time-consuming.
• There is an urgent need for hand-held detection kits, like those used for blood sugar monitoring and pregnancy detection.

 

Working of Organic Field Effect Transistor (new Portable Device)

• The new portable device can instantly detect the charges on the cell walls of bacteria. The rapid detection kits are like those used for blood sugar monitoring.

 

For Example: It is known that Gram-positive bacteria such as S pneumoniae, have different cell wall compositions than Gram-negative bacteria such as the common E. coli. Such asymmetric cell wall organizations could alter the flow of electrons at the channel of OFETs during their detection

 

• The Organic Field Effect Transistor (OEFT) detects this charge.
• The OEFT is an electronic device that works on the principle that charges in the vicinity of the channel of certain semiconductors can induce a current in them.
• Thus, the charges on the surface of the bacterium include current in the OEFT, which is registered and read.

 

Specification of Organic Field Effect Transistor

• It consists of a unique and hybrid tri-layer dielectric system built on simple glass and flexible PET (a kind of plastic) substrates and can operate at ultra-low operating voltages.
• OEFT sensor detects the bacteria and also differentiate between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

 

Significance

• The OFET-based ready-to-use diagnostic tool will facilitate rapid detection and diagnosis at the point of care.
• The current device is particularly useful for the detection of bacteria primarily for water-borne diseases.
• These sensors will also be useful in instantaneous detection of time-critical illnesses such as meningitis.

 

Source: Times of India

 

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